Masking the Pain
by kazoquel4
Summary: At school, Percy Jackson is the guy that everyone likes. Nice, sarcastic, funny. But all this is just a mask he hides behind, trying not to reveal the truth about his abusive stepfather. Percy has no one to turn to, but his life is turned upside down when Annabeth Chase grows curious. No gods/ AU. Rated for mild language. May be OOC, so be warned. COMPLETE. *Sequel is UP!*
1. Chapter 1

**Added 4/6/13: Not some of my best work at the beginning of this story, because I was quite a bit younger when I wrote this… looking back on it, I'm quite embarrased. So please excuse any spelling/grammar mistakes, as I've greatly improved since then.**

**Chapter 1**

Percy's POV

"Perrrcy!"

I turned around to see my best friend Grover Underwood hobbling toward me. See, Grover has crutches because of some illness he has in his legs. He gave me a long-winded, complicated explanation, but I didn't really listen.  
"Hey, G-Man," I greeted, pausing to let him catch up.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"  
"The usual," I shrugged. "You?"  
He sighed. "Juniper's going away for a week to visit her grandparents," he said solemnly.

I snickered. "You say that like it's the end of the world."

"It IS!" he cried. "I'll be away from her for a week! An entire week, Perce!"

"Grover. Calm down. It's just. A. Week."  
"Yes, but it'll seem like so much longer," he said sadly.  
"You're ridiculous."  
"You'll understand soon Percy, when you get a girlfriend," said Grover.  
"Yes, like that is going to happen," I said, rolling my eyes.

"It will one day! Mark my words, Jackson, it will!"

"Dude, stop getting acting all philosophical."  
We opened the door and walked into the classroom.

"I am not getting philosophical," huffed Grover, sitting down in the back with me.

"Poor, naïve Grover," said Nico, sitting next to him. "You're always philosophical. And annoying."  
Nico was the youngest in our grade. He had skipped two years, though he didn't act much different from the rest of us. He was kind of goth-looking, with his dark clothes and skull rings, but he wasn't really. He just acted like it; why, we weren't sure. No one was really positive as to what went on in that boy's head.

"I am not naïve!" cried Grover. "And I'm not annoying!"  
"Sure you aren't, buddy," I said, pulling out my homework and dropping it onto my desk.

"Alright class," said Mr. Brunner, wheeling his way to the front of the class. The conversations petered out slowly as everyone started searching for their homework. "Please pass your homework from last night up."

I handed my homework to the girl in front of me, Thalia Grace. She was the oldest in our grade, having been held back a year. She took it from me with a slightly bored expression and handed it to her best friend, Annabeth Chase, who, of course, had to sit in the front of the class.

"Today," said Mr. Brunner, once he had gotten all of the homework collected. "We will be reviewing Greek gods and goddesses. I take it that everyone has studied?"  
The Stoll twins, Travis and Connor, were making fake gagging noises at the thought of studying.  
"Mr.'s Stoll, if you need, you may go to the nurse. Now then," said Mr. Brunner as if he had not been interrupted. "Percy! The god of the sea is…"  
"Poseidon," I said. He had been my favorite god so far. I guess it had something to do with the fact that I loved swimming, the ocean, surfing… I just liked water, I guess. Not that I had much opportunity to do that, because of…

"Annabeth, the goddess of wisdom?"  
"Athena," said Annabeth easily. Nico rolled his eyes. Of course Annabeth knew the answer. She was practically Athena herself.

"Nico, the god of the underworld?"  
"Um… Hades."  
The rest of class went on like that. The names started getting considerably harder, extending to all the Greek figures we had learned so far. As usual, I got 'Chiron' and 'Charon' mixed up. But that happens when you're dyslexic, I suppose. I should be used to it by now.  
When the bell rang, everyone jumped up, grabbing their stuff. I got up more slowly. The end of school meant that I had to go home.  
Home. Did I really have a home anymore? They say home is where the family is, and I don't have a family. Well, not really. Technically, Gabe Ugliano is my family, my stepfather. Not like he acts like it.

I shook my head. I tried not to think about that stuff at school. It didn't do me any good to think about it at school when I already have to think too much about it at home.

"Hey, Perce," said Nico, picking up his backpack and crossing over to me. "Want to hang out at my place for a bit?"

"No. I have a family thing," I half-lied. I've never gone and never will go to anyone's house after school. I know what will happen if I get home late.

"Again?" asked Grover. "Gosh, you sure have a lot of family things."  
"Yeah. I do. I have to go. See you tomorrow."  
"Bye!" my friends called after me.

As I left the classroom, I felt a stare on me. I turned around to see Annabeth Chase looking at me. When I caught her eye, she didn't turn away, just stared straight at me. Her eyes were curious and… suspicious? I turned around quickly and slipped out of the classroom.

Annabeth Chase. It's strange, I really don't know much about her. She's a reporter for the school paper. She's like, a child prodigy and always knows everything. She's best friends with Thalia Grace. Other than that, I knew nothing, even though I had known her for years.

I was so lost in thought I ran smack into the front doors to the school. I swore under my breath and rubbed my head, pushing the doors open with more force than necessary. Already put into a bad mood, I started walking home through the December drizzle.

Ten minutes later I was standing in front of the door to my apartment. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, then slipped inside as quietly as I could, pausing to look around.  
There was no one inside. I gave a sigh of relief and straightened up, started to head to my room.

"So you're home, punk."  
I froze, then slowly turned to face my stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, or, as I called him, Smelly Gabe. He leered at me, stepping forward, brandishing a half-empty beer bottle.

"You have a nice time at school?" he asked mockingly. I didn't respond.  
"Answer me!" he said, taking another step towards me.  
"Yes."  
He narrowed his eyes.  
"Don't say yes in that ungrateful tone," he said, aiming a punch at my face. I fell back, clutching my throbbing cheek. Damn, he could hit hard!

"What, no sorry?" he asked, aiming at my stomach this time. I dropped my hands to my stomach, doubling over.  
"Sorry," I rasped.

He pushed me back, slamming me into a wall. I hit it hard and slid down with a groan. "You'd better be," he said menacingly. "Or I'll…"  
Yes, I knew. He'd beat me within an inch of my life. It's been that way since I was 8, ever since he'd murdered my mom. I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the pain of those memories.  
Smelly Gabe finished off his beer and threw it at the wall above me. I winced as sharp glass shards rained down on my head. "You disgust me," he sneered. "Get out of my sight, you worthless piece of trash."  
I slowly got up, and winced as several shards of glass got embedded in my hand. I limped down the hall to my small bedroom, where I fell onto the bed, cheek, stomach, and hand hurting. I quickly examined my hand and pulled the glass out the best I could, trying not to cry out, and wrapped it in an old t-shirt to stop the blood. My cheek, well, there was nothing I could do about that. It was swollen and already bruising. I laid back down and shut my eyes as tears started rolling down my cheeks. _Why me?_ I thought. _Why did I have to be born?_

It was a good question. If I hadn't been born, I wouldn't be alive. I wouldn't have seen my mom get killed. I wouldn't have to be beaten on a daily basis.

Often I contemplated running away, escaping, but I could never bring myself to do it. I was a coward. I had nowhere to go, and I knew if I did run, he would just find me, and the consequences would be high.

I had nothing.  
I had no one.  
I was utterly and completely alone.

At school I kept on a mask. I didn't tell anyone what was going on at home, and I didn't let anyone know the real me. Everyone thought I was just a sarcastic, funny guy with maybe average intelligence. Not even Grover and Nico, my best friends, have ever heard a word about what Gabe does to me. No one has.

And so, with that, I fell asleep with the same thoughts whirling around in my head.

_Why me? Why me? Why me…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Percy's POV

I woke up the next morning and groaned. I'm sure there was a huge bruise on my stomach and my hand was killing me. I sat up to look in a mirror and bit my lip. The swelling had gone down, but my cheek was covered in a bruise.

I stood up and made my way over to a loose floorboard, where I kept some bandages. I quickly bandaged my hand and touched my cheek. Not much I could do about that. I opted to grab a hoodie and pull it low over my face, then picked up my backpack and slipped out of the room.

In the living room, I ran into Gabe, who was passed out on the couch. I glanced at the clock and cursed. No time for breakfast, or I would be late. I hurried out of the apartment and onto the street, walking fast.

"Hey! Wait up! Percy!"  
I turned around, startled. Annabeth was running towards me, her blond hair flying behind her. She panted as she came to a stop next to me. "Hey," she said.  
I just nodded and kept walking.

"What's up?" she asked. I shrugged, not wanting to talk to her.

"Are you ignoring me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
I shook my head.

"Then answer me! And take that hood off, I want to be able to see- Percy!"

She had pulled my hood off without my permission and gasped at the sight of my cheek.

"Percy… What happened?" she asked softly, touching it lightly.  
I pulled away and yanked my hood back up. "None of your business."  
"And your hand," she continued, taking it. "What did you do?"  
"I said, it's none of your business!" I said sharply, quickening my pace.

"Come on, just tell me! You can trust me," she said, easily keeping up with me.  
"NO! Just… just leave me alone, okay?" I started to run, leaving her behind me. Gods, what was her problem? She's too persistent. Why does she care, anyways? No one ever cares...

Annabeth's POV

I stopped, watching Percy run away. I felt pretty bad. I mean, I guess it wasn't my business, but he was just so hurt! What could he have done between yesterday and today that could have hurt him like that. Unless…

_"No," Percy said. "I have a family thing."  
"Again?" Grover asked. "Gosh, you sure have a lot of family things."_

What if his injuries had something to do with his family? I'm not sure what that could be, but whatever it is, I have a feeling it can't be good. What was going on with Percy Jackson?  
I may not know him very well, but he's got my curiosity piqued. I promise, I'm going to find out what his secret is.

Percy's POV

Annabeth walked into class just as the bell rang. I didn't look at her, keeping my head on the desk in front of me. I had a feeling she was trying to catch my eye, which just made me more intent on keeping my eyes down. A few seconds later the teacher came in, and we started another boring lesson on algebraic expressions or whatever it was. I doodled on a piece of scrap paper to pass the time, but kept getting distracted as thoughts of _this is boring_ went through my mind.

Suddenly, a piece of paper landed on my desk. I frowned and unfolded it, reading the writing on the other side.

_Hey, I'm sorry. Can we talk after school? Meet me behind the gym._

_~Annabeth_

I looked at her, but she was scribbling down notes for the lesson. How she paid attention was beyond me. I refolded the note and stuck it in my pocket. Why does she want to meet me? Unless… _Oh no,_ I thought. _But… she couldn't have figured it out… right?_

Well, there was a simple solution to that. I'm not going to meet her.  
Easier said than done.

Grover and Nico caught up to me on the way to our next class. "Hey, Perce, who passed you that note in math?" asked Grover.  
"Annabeth Chase," I said, keeping my hood up.

Nico whistled. "Chase? What does she want with you?"  
"She wants me to meet her behind the gym after school."  
Grover and Nico exchanged a look then burst out laughing. "Way to go, Percy! Score!"

"Not that way!" I said, heat creeping into my cheeks. "She just wants to talk."  
"Yes, but what _kind _of talk?" Nico asked, waggling his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "Idiots," I muttered.

"But seriously, why does she want to talk with you?" asked Grover.  
"No idea," I said wearily.

"Maybe she wants to tutor you," said Nico. "We all know you need all the help you can get."  
"Thanks, Nic," I muttered.  
"No problem!" he said brightly.

"Hey Nico!" said Thalia behind us. Nico turned around. "My dad said to tell you that you're coming over for dinner tonight."  
"Cool," Nico nodded.  
Oh, did I mention? Nico and Thalia are cousins. Which means I see Thalia a lot; I guess you could say she's one of my best friends. She always hung out with Annabeth, though. Those two were inseparable most of the time.

"Hey, Perce," said Thalia. A grin was creeping onto her face. "I heard you and Annabeth are meeting behind the gym after school. What's that about?"  
"Ugh!" I said, throwing up my hands. "She just wants to talk! Since when is that a profession of love?"  
"Since she did it," said Nico, nodding his head solemnly.

"Uh huh," I said, pushing past them to my locker and grabbing my books. I slammed it shut and turned to head to my next class.

"Well, you're going to meet her, aren't you?" asked Grover, catching up.

"No."  
Nico furrowed his brow. "Why?"  
"Because I don't want to."  
"Why?"

"Because I don't."  
"Why?"  
"Nico!"  
"What?"  
"Shut up!"

"Fine," he said, pouting.

"None of you are to mention this again. Agreed?" I asked, pointing at them menacingly.  
"Whatever. Don't get your toga in a twist," said Thalia, rolling her eyes.

"Um, Thals?" asked Nico. "No one's worn togas for hundreds of years.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" she snapped.

"Sure we do."  
"What does that mean?"

I tuned out their bickering on the way to class, glad that the subject had been turned from me and Annabeth. Really, it means nothing! She just wants to talk. Just. Talk. No… kissing, or whatever they think! I don't even like her, let alone _like_ her. She's just an annoying know-it-all with a curious disposition. Nothing was ever going to happen between us.

What would?

After school, I faced a problem. To get home, I would have to walk right past where I was supposed to meet Annabeth. Okay. No big deal. I'll just have to employ some ninja moves.

I ducked behind a dumpster and peeked around it. Sure enough, Annabeth was waiting there. Her foot was tapping impatiently as she looked around then glanced at her watch. I took a deep breath and jumped behind the next trash can. Ok, so far so-

"Jackson! I see you!"  
I sighed and straightened up. Annabeth was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.  
"What were you doing?"  
"Being a ninja," I muttered, walking over to her. I sighed again. "Okay, I'm here. What do you want?"  
"I want to carry on our conversation from earlier," she said. "I really am sorry for prying, but I want to know what's going on. If it's something bad, I want to help you, Percy," she said softly.

I snorted. "And you want to help me because…?"

She reddened. "I just do, Seaweed Brain!"  
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Seaweed Brain?"  
"Your new nickname. Whenever I see you outside of school you're swimming, and your head is full of kelp. So, you're Seaweed Brain."

"Right," I said. "Listen, I really have to get going."  
"Mhmm. Why?"  
"Er… My stepdad wants me home. To help him with something."  
"Help him with what?"  
"I dunno, making a cake or something!"

"You're a really bad liar."

"First of all, I'm not lying. Second, I'm not a bad liar!"

"Let's see," she went on, ignoring me. "You couldn't go to your friends' house yesterday because you had a family thing. You go home fine, then come out the next morning bruised and hurt-" she froze. "Percy," she whispered. "Your stepfather… did he do this to you?"  
I could feel my heartbeat quicken. Why the hell is she so smart?  
"No," I said. "He didn't."  
"Percy, tell me the truth."  
"HE DIDN'T!" I shouted. She took a step back, surprised at my outburst. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Annabeth, just leave me alone. You don't know what you're talking about, so just drop it, ok?"

"No! I'm not going to drop it! Because if you're being-"  
"Abused?" I asked harshly. She froze. "Yeah, well, luckily for you I'm not. Bye. See you Monday." I turned around and walked away, venting my frustration by aiming a kick at a rock.

That… Ugh! Going around and prying into my information like she actually _cares_. I know why she's doing it. She found a mystery and she just can't stop until she solves it. She doesn't care about me at all. Of course she doesn't. Who would? The last person who cared about me died a long time ago… Died because of me…

I shook my head. No need to go into the past. I already lived it once. I took a deep breath and continued on my way.

Annabeth's POV  
I watched Percy storm away. He kicked a rock as he went, clearly angry. I sighed. I hadn't meant to make him angry. I'm just worried about him. I don't know him too well, but I just feel the strangest urge to protect him.

And I can't do that by just watching him walk away.  
I started to follow him.

Percy's POV

I got to my apartment door and stopped, wringing my hands nervously, staring at the door. I wasn't ready to face him. Not yet. He would be in there, waiting… Always waiting.

I knew I had to go in there, or it would just be worse. I shut my eyes for a second then reached, with shaking hands, for the handle. But I couldn't find it.  
I opened my eyes, and there stood Smelly Gabe, right in front of me. He smirked at me.  
"You're late," he said.

"S-sorry," I said, gulping.

He thrust open the door and glared at me.  
"Get in."

I walked in, resigned to my fate. He slammed the door behind me, and I stopped. He stood behind me.  
"So," he said.

Suddenly, a force from behind knocked me over. I fell flat with a small _oof._

"You think," he said, aiming a kick at my stomach, "you can just walk in here" kick "late?"

"I'm sorry," I said in a muffled voice, speaking into the carpet.  
"Get up," he sneered, grabbing me by the hair and yanking me to my feet. I blinked tears from my watering eyes as he aimed another punch at my face. "Who do you think you are?"  
"I-" he pushed me against the wall, slamming me hard. I blinked, my vision swimming.

"Wimp," he said, slamming me again against the wall. I whimpered softly, blinking stars out of my eyes. "Useless, pathetic, wimp. Who's here to save you now? I've already killed your_ dear _mother."  
That hit home. Groggily, I glared at him. "Don't you _dare _speak about her! You don't deserve to say her name!"  
He slammed me harder, and I slid to the ground in a dazed heap. He leaned down, speaking into my ear. "I'll do whatever I want. Whenever I want."

I blinked slowly, my eyesight starting to fade. The last thing I saw was him waddling to the kitchen to grab a beer.

Annabeth's POV

I just kept staring at the door, not sure what to make of what I had seen. Percy had made it to his home, then froze, almost nervously. He wrung his hands, then closed his eyes, going to open the door. Before he could, though, it was pulled open by the most disgusting man I had ever seen.  
He smiled grotesquely at Percy. "You're late," he said in a dangerous voice.  
"S-sorry," Percy said. I blinked. He actually seemed afraid. And if there was one thing that I had never seen before, it was Percy Jackson afraid.

"Get in," snapped the man, opening the door wider.

Percy had walked in on shaky legs, and the door had slammed shut behind him.

I took a deep breath, sitting back against the wall on the opposite side of the street. It seems that what I'm suspecting might be true. If it was…

"Poor Percy," I whispered.  
He had always seemed kind of fake at school. He would have these moments when he would just kind of tune out from the rest of the world with a sad look on his face, lost in thought. And then those injuries, and the way his stepfather treated him…

I shook my head. I would help him.

I _had _to help him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Percy's POV

I groaned and tried to open my eyes. Nothing. My head felt like it had been smashed with a hammer. I tried again, and this time my eyelids fluttered open. I was lying in the exact same spot where I had collapsed last night; Gabe hadn't been bothered to move me.

Typical.

I heard snores coming from somewhere to my right, but I couldn't see anyone. I used the wall to carefully get up, my legs wobbling. I blinked, still a bit dizzy, and carefully reached up to feel the back of my head. I hissed in pain; there was a huge bump on the back of my head. I brought back my hand to see dry blood covering it.

I quickly found the source of the snoring. Smelly Gabe was passed out behind the couch, still clutching an empty bottle of beer.  
I stared at him. My eyes darted to the door, then back. I could do it- leave, I mean. I could just… run… couldn't I?  
There's nowhere I could go. And I recalled a memory, from long ago. I had tried to escape then, too, when I was 10…

_I was out the door and sneaking along the sidewalk. It was the dead of night, and the air was chilly. I wrapped my thin jacket tighter around myself, keeping a fast pace. I had to get away; Gabe couldn't do anything to me if I got far, far away._

_I ducked into an alley to get out of the moonlight. Sure, Gabe was a fat blob who couldn't be bothered to get off his lazy ass, but I knew what he was capable of._

_It was darker in the alley. I was surrounded by trash, and I thought I heard things moving in the shadows. I shivered. Rats._

_I turned a corner and stopped. Dead end. Great. I turned back around, intending to head back to the street and try a different way, and jumped back. Smelly Gabe was standing right behind me, a menacing look on his face._

_"What do you think you're doing?" he asked in a menacing voice._

_I looked around, desperate for an escape._

_"I-I-"  
"Did you really think it would be that easy?" He sneered, looking slightly amused. He grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, muffling my cry with his hand. "You don't know what you're messing with," he whispered, twisting some more. I dropped to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks. He shoved me away and I landed on the cool concrete. I could taste blood in my mouth as he kicked me. "Pathetic," he said. "You make one escape attempt, and you don't even get a block away."_

_He leaned in closer, putting his weight on my injured arm. I started sobbing. "You can't escape," he hissed in my ear. "You're mine. Wherever you go, I'll find you, punk. You'll never be free of me. That's a promise."_

I shook myself, taking a shaky breath, and looked back at the door. I needed to get out of here. I wouldn't run away; he would find me. I just needed to get out of the house. I hurried to my room and gave my hair a quick rinse to get the blood out. I grabbed some jeans and pulled them on, glancing in the mirror. A bruise on both cheeks. _Great,_ I thought. _What will my excuse be? A gang fight? Attacked by a dog?_

I hurried out of the room and walked quietly past Gabe, who was still snoring away, and slipped out of the house. I looked around, wondering where to go.

_The beach,_ I thought

The beach has always made me feel better. I have a private spot, too, where no one ever goes. Whenever I feel sad, or Gabe beats me too bad, I go there to escape.

I started to run, my feet slapping against the pavement, eager to get to my spot. I followed a short trail then hit the sand, slowing down. Here it was, my spot. The white sand reached down to the blue water. It was almost a cove, surrounded by greenery on the sides. I sat down in the sand and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, thinking. As much as I tried to stop it, Gabe's words bounced around my head.

_Useless… pathetic… wimp… punk… weak… _

I drew my knees to my chest and put my head down, silent tears running down my cheek. I'll never be free of him. No matter what I do, no matter where I hide, he'll always be there, brandishing his fist, telling me I deserve it, just as he'd been for the last eight years. No matter how much I resisted, those words were drilled into my head.  
_You deserve it, punk.  
You deserve it._

Annabeth's POV

I shut the door to my house and pulled my backpack tighter, setting out. Every Saturday, I went on a little 'escape'. I would go around town, find the most peaceful spot I could find, and relax there for the rest of the day. It was kind of like a retreat, since the rest of my week was so hectic with schoolwork.  
I headed down to the shore today. Last week I had gone inland, and it had been a while since I had gone to the beach. I looked around and finally located a path that took me down to the shore.

I finally pushed my way through the greenery and smiled. It was a beautiful little half-cove, with the most brilliant blue water. I took a step out when I realized that the beach was already occupied.  
I stopped and looked at the small figure. A boy was sitting there, his head in his arms, not moving. With a jolt I realized it was Percy. I contemplated turning around and leaving him alone, then thought better.  
I slowly walked up, coming to a stop behind him. He didn't notice me and didn't move. I cleared my throat softly.

"Percy," I whispered.

He jumped and looked up. I was shocked to see tears running down his face. Without a word I dropped my backpack and sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into my grip, his head dropping onto my shoulder.  
I had never seen him like this. He seemed so sad, so fragile, so… defeated. I stared out at the ocean, rubbing soothing circles into his arm and letting him cry.

After a moment his breathing slowed again and he sat up, wiping his eyes. He didn't speak, and neither did I. Finally, he broke the silent.  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered. I glanced at him. He was still staring out at the sea. "I always come here when I'm upset."  
"Yes, it is," I said quietly.

He sighed, resting his face on his fist. I looked sideways at him, then turned fully to face him. "Percy," I said, gently taking his face. He turned slowly to me, and I rubbed my thumb gently over his cheek. "Percy, what happened? Please, tell me the truth. I want to help you."  
He was quiet for a moment, watching the water. He didn't speak for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer me. Then, "My stepfather."

I inhaled sharply. Sure, that's what I had suspected, but I had hoped I was wrong. And to hear him say that, so plainly, without any emotion… I had to admit. It scared me.

"Oh Percy," I said in a voice hardly above a whisper. "How… how long?"  
"Since I was eight," he said. I closed my eyes. "Ever since my mom… died."  
"Percy…" I opened my eyes again to find him looking at me. I stared into his brilliant green eyes. They were marked with dark shadows, and seemed haunted. There was a pain in them, and a deep sadness. I opened my mouth, then closed it, not sure what to say.

"I…"  
He laughed harshly.  
"Well, there it is," he said, tearing his eyes away to look bitterly at the water again.

"Huh?" I asked, confused.

"There it is. You got what you wanted. You know my 'big secret'. Are you happy? You're going to, what, publish it in the school paper?"  
His eyes narrowed. "Go ahead. I don't care. I guess it was only a matter of time before it got out, anyways. Better to let everyone know, in one big story. Go ahead."  
"I… You don't honestly think I would do that?" I asked, shocked.

He turned towards me, doubt in his face. "Well… aren't you?"  
"No!" I said. "No, Percy. I wouldn't do that. It's your business; I wouldn't do that! But…"  
"What?" he asked, turning away again.

"You will let me help you, won't you?"  
He didn't bother looking at me, but I saw him raise an eyebrow. "Help?"  
"Well, yes. We have to tell someone. We can get him arrested, Percy-"  
"No!" he said. I jumped, surprised at his outburst. "No," he said in a quieter voice. "Annabeth, I… No."  
"Why not?" I asked, getting slightly annoyed. "Percy, you can't just keep this a secret! He can't do this to you!"  
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Annabeth. I can't do anything about it. You have to understand, I've lived with it for eight years. _Eight_ _damn years!_" His voice started getting aggravated. "I can deal with it."  
"Percy, you must want it to stop."  
"Of course I do!" he exclaimed. "I want it to stop, more than anything. Do you know what it's like, being afraid to go back to your own home? To not know if you'll wake up, thinking about everything he could do to you while you sleep? Every day, I get new injuries. Every day. I have more scars than I can count. But, Annabeth," he dropped his voice. "I can't tell anyone. He'll… he'll find me," he said, his voice a whisper now. "He'll find me, and he'll just hurt me all over again. And one day, he could go too far again."  
I hesitated.  
"Again?"  
Percy blinked. "Nothing. Forget I said that."  
"Percy, there are people that can help you. We'll get him sent to jail. He won't be able to find you! He'll never be able to hurt you again."  
"You don't know him," he said darkly. "He'll find a way. He always finds a way."

I took a shaky breath, wrapping my arms around myself. The temperature seemed to have dropped in the last ten minutes.

"Percy, I can't just-"  
"Yes, you can. I trusted you with my secret, and now you have to trust me."

He turned again to look me in the eyes.

"Please?"  
"On one condition."

He sighed.  
"Yes?"  
"I'll give you a few days. If it's too bad, I'm getting help. I don't want to make you mad at me, but if that's what it takes to stop that monster, that's what I'm doing."  
He was silent, then sighed. "Fine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Percy's POV

I can't believe I told her.

The first person I've ever told, and it's Annabeth Chase.

What has the world come to?  
I'm not even sure _why _I told her. I was crying, she showed up and hugged me, and suddenly I'm spilling the truth. What did I eat for breakfast? Bad mushrooms?  
Well, now she knows. I can tell that not doing anything is killing her, but she doesn't seem to get that this is what I need to do. She doesn't know what he's capable of.

_I _don't know what he's capable of.

Annabeth didn't react as I suspected. Truth be told, I thought she was going to tell everyone. What would my friends say if they found out? I have a pretty good idea. Thalia, Nico, Grover… they would murder him. Without a second thought, they would kill him. That's why I could never tell them; I can't let them get near him, or he'll hurt them too.

I shivered, and not from the cold. Really, I had just put Annabeth in danger too. Gabe had warned me not to tell anyone; if he found out… well, I just couldn't imagine it. No, best to put those thoughts out of my mind.

"Percy?" asked Annabeth, sounding concerned. "Percy, are you cold?"  
I rolled my eyes. "No Annabeth, I'm not cold."

She checked her watch. "Maybe we should get going; it's already 4:00."  
I jumped up. "What?"  
She blinked, then clambered to her feet. "I said, it's 4:00."  
"No," I muttered. "Listen, I have to get going- he's going to kill me- 4:00-"  
"Percy-"  
"I'll see you Monday!" I shouted over my shoulder, rushing back up the trail. I sprinted down the blocks, finally arriving at my apartment door. I took a moment to get my breathing under control, then opened the door.

Gabe was sitting on the couch. I gulped, put my head down, and started to trudge back to my room.

"What," he said quietly, "have I told you about being late?"  
I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time-"  
He pushed me back and I stumbled and fell. "Lost track of time?" he asked wildly. "This is the second time you've been late! I will not have it!"  
He kicked me, and my already bruised stomach flared with pain. I groaned softly, trying not to cry out. "I think," he said with a grin. "It's time you learned a lesson."  
He stomped on my hand, hard, and covered my mouth with a towel to block the scream. Pain burst into my wrist and up through my arm. I felt tears running down my cheeks, and I shut my eyes, trying to block everything out.

"You little crybaby!" he hissed, delivering a punch to the head. I slumped down, trying to ignore the pain. He aimed a few more kicks at me, giving me a black eye and cutting my lip. I lay there, limp, until he had finished and went for another beer. While he was distracted, I shakily got up, my muscles screaming in protest, and stumbled to my room. Not even bothering to assess my injuries, I collapsed onto my bed, still crying silently.

_"Percy, there are people that can help you. We'll get him sent to jail. He won't be able to find you! He'll never be able to hurt you again."_

I sighed. As if. He'll always find me, and he'll always be there to hurt me.

Still, that night I dreamed of a better life, one without Gabe Ugliano.

**A/N: Yes, yes, I know, very short! I'm still trying to work out exactly what I want to happen. I have a basic idea, but I need to write it all out.**

**Soon I'll be answering some questions you might be asking: What happened to his mother, and just where is his father?  
Thanks so much for reading! Please review, it means the world to me and encourages me to write faster!  
~Kayla**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

On Monday, Annabeth dragged me over to sit with her at lunchtime. My friends looked over in our direction, frowning thoughtfully and in confusion, as Annabeth plopped down. I sat next to her.  
"Er… Hi?" I said.  
"Hi."

"Um… Is there, you know, any reason you kidnapped me?"  
She turned toward me. "How are you?"  
"Good, except for this one test in math-"  
"You know what I'm talking about."  
I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine."

She grabbed hold of my bandaged wrist and my cut lip and raised her eye.  
"I'm fine," I said, wrenching my hand out of hers.

"Mhmm," she said. I got out my lunch silently, but she kept staring at me. "What?" I finally asked.  
"Nothing," she said, turning to her own lunch. "So… tell me about you."  
"Excuse me?"  
"Tell me about you. I know almost nothing."  
"That's a first."  
"Percy…"  
"Alright, fine," I said. "Well, I love to swim. I love pizza. Blue's my favorite color. I like horses. I have dyslexia and ADHD… Yup, that's about it."  
"Dyslexia and ADHD?" she asked.  
"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, it's just I have them both too," Annabeth said.  
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "But you do so well in classes…"  
"Yeah, well you could too if you tried a bit," she said with a grin.

"Well sorry, Ms. Smarty-Pants."  
"Ms. Smarty-Pants?" she said with a laugh. "Is that the best you could do?"  
"Well… I… Oh, shut up!" She laughed again. I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her. I had spent all of these years around her, yet I had never really gotten to know her. She had always seemed so… I don't know, unapproachable.

The rest of the lunch went on like that. When the bell rang we stood up and walked to history together, still laughing.

"Hey, Percy, Annabeth." Thalia came walking up.  
"Hey Thalia," Annabeth said with a smile. The two girls were pretty good friends, and often paired up for assignments together.  
"You abandoned us, Percy!" said Grover, as he and Nico came to walk next to me.  
"You can't even last one lunch without me? Wow, you guys need help."  
Annabeth and Thalia laughed as the boys frowned.  
"We do not!"  
"Keep telling yourself that."  
We walked into the classroom and took our seats. Mr. Brunner wheeled to the front of the class. "Hello, class. Today, we will be creating a chart of all the Greek gods and goddesses. I hope you all know them well, by now." He passed out sheets of paper.

Annabeth immediately started, her blond hair falling over one shoulder as she worked. I found myself staring at her. Her grey eyes looked thoughtfully down at her page as she bit her bottom lip, thinking. _Wow, she has pretty eyes,_ I thought. Then, _wait… what?_

I looked away from her and started to work on my own chart, thinking. I couldn't be… no, that's impossible. It's just normal teenage guy thoughts, I mean, I am a 16 year old, it's perfectly acceptable to be thinking this… right?

I shook my head, as though trying to clear the thoughts out physically. Me and Annabeth? Please. We had pretty much just gotten onto first name basis, it's not like I'm going to be proposing any time soon.

I wondered, for the millionth time, if this was how mom and dad fell in love. Maybe they were friends before. The thing was, I didn't know. My mom had died before she could really tell me much about my dad.  
Died…

Yeah right.  
And then, unbidden, the memory of her death leapt to my mind…

_The eight year old Percy could hear loud voices downstairs. He crept to his door and opened it a crack, listening._

_"You will NOT send my son to a military school!" shouted his mom.  
"I can do any damn thing I want!" his stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, shouted back._

_Percy stepped into the hall and crept down the stairs, still listening.  
"He's only eight! Why would he even need to go?"_

_"That kid's trouble, Sally! He's a freak! What he needs is a good, hard beating!"  
"YOU WILL NOT!"  
"I WILL!"  
Gabe stormed out of the kitchen, looking around. Percy gave a little squeak and jumped back, scared. The man noticed him and walked forward, a mad glint in his eyes._

_"C'mere, punk, I'm going to-"  
Suddenly, a force flew at him from behind. His mother, her brown hair flying, had jumped at Gabe, trying to keep him away. "Don't touch him!" she said forcefully._

_Gabe turned around and grabbed Sally Jackson around the neck. Her eyes widened in surprise and she dropped her hands from his back, trying to pry his fingers from crushing her windpipe. But it was no use, his fingers were like iron, shining with a malevolent madness, and Sally's legs gave out beneath her-  
"NO!" screamed Percy, jumping at the pair. He hit Gabe's back, trying to get him to release his mother, but he was just swatted away. He hit the wall and sat, staring in disbelief, as his mother's life was crushed out of her._

_Gabe finally released her, and she dropped to the ground like a ragdoll. He spun around and ran into the kitchen, as if to escape from her body. Percy ran to his mother's side, tears streaming down his face.  
"No, Mommy, don't go, please, Mommy, wake up…"  
Sally's eyes fluttered open weakly, and her blue eyes found Percy's green. She drew a shuddering breath and smiled. "Percy," she breathed, cupping his cheek in her hand. She drew a last, shuddering breath, and the hand dropped to the ground beside her with a thump. Percy was left staring into his mother's lifeless eyes, feeling as if a part of him had been taken away._

_"Mommy," he whispered, before curling into a ball next to her and sobbing harder than he ever had before._

"PERCY!"  
I opened my eyes, looking up into Annabeth's face. Her eyes were worried, her face concerned. "Percy, are you all right?"  
I sat up slowly, wondering why everything was so blurry. The entire class was staring at me, and Thalia, Nico and Grover were circled around me.  
I raised a shaky hand to my face to find it wet; I was crying. "What… what happened?" I asked hoarsely.

"I don't know," said Thalia, looking at me with concern. "You just collapsed, and then you were crying… Percy, what's wrong?"  
I sat up, still shaken. The memory had seemed so vivid, so real… Mr. Brunner wheeled next to me, looking anxious. "You should go to the nurse, Percy," he said quietly. "Do you want Annabeth to accompany you?"  
"No… no, I'm fine. I can get there alone."  
Annabeth helped me up, and I carefully grabbed my bag. The room was silent as I left, though I knew the story would be all over the school by the end of the day.  
I wasn't go to the nurse. I didn't need to. I wasn't sick… at least, not physically. I tried not to remember that horrible night. I tried not to even think of my mother too much; it was too painful. But I found myself thinking about her all the time, because although it was painful, it was also comforting.

My father had disappeared when I was born. No one knows where he is, where he went, or even exactly who he is. I used to dream that one day he would come and find me, take me away. But the more time went on, the more the idea seemed impossible. He doesn't care about me. If he did, I wouldn't be stuck with Gabe.

I wandered aimlessly around the school, wiping my eyes, before settling into the shadows behind the gym. I couldn't go home yet, and I didn't have anywhere else to go.  
I put my head in my hands and sat there, trying not to think too hard about the past.

**A/N: Okay.  
Well, that was depressing. I really didn't enjoy that, but it had to be done. I really liked the first part, with Annabeth and Percy, but I was near tears by the end of it. I've said it before, and I will say it again: POOR PERCY!  
Don't worry, things won't always be this bad. A few more chapters and things will start looking up for our friend. Things will never be easy, but he won't be as bad off.  
Thanks so much for reading! Please, please review! Unless, of course, you don't want me to write any more… But I hope that's not the case J  
Thanks again!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Percy?" a voice whispered. I recognized it as Annabeth's, and didn't look up. "Percy, are you alright?"  
I grit my teeth. Of _course _I wasn't alright. _Why _would I be alright?  
I could feel her sit down next to me. "Percy, I-"  
"You what?" I asked, feeling anger suddenly bubbling up inside of me for some reason. I looked up to glare at her.  
Annabeth blinked, seemingly surprised by my look. "I- If you wanted to talk about it, it would help-"  
"Talk about it?" I asked harshly. "It seems I talk about _everything _with you! And not even willingly! I was doing perfectly fine until you started butting into my life!"  
"Perfectly fine?" she asked, incredulous.  
"Well, maybe not perfectly, but I've been dealing with my own problems for eight years! I can still deal with my problems. On my own!"  
"Percy, I just want to help."  
"Yeah, I get it. You feel sorry for me," I said, turning to look away from her hurt expression. "That's the only reason you're even talking to me."  
"Percy, that's not true!"  
"Well, you never talked to me before you found out my secret! And you sure seem pretty interested in me now!"  
"It's because I care about you!"  
I laughed humorlessly and stood up. "Listen, you might think that, but you don't. You just feel sorry for me, and are deluding yourself into thinking you actually care. The fact is, the last person to actually care for me was killed years ago. You know what, Annabeth? Just stay away from me. Stay out of my life, stay out of my way, and stay out of my head!"

I turned around and stalked off, trying to ignore her pain-filled expression. "Percy!" she called after me, but I just broke into a run, trying to escape.

I wasn't sure why I was fighting with her. All the emotions that had been building up inside of me had just kind of poured out, and I was taking it out on her.

I know I was being a bit unfair, but I was telling the truth. I could tell from the pitying looks she sent my way. All I was was a project, a mystery, something different in her life. For a while, I had deluded myself into thinking she really cared. But after the memory in class, I had realized something. The last person who cared about me really did die all those years ago.  
And there was nothing I could do to change it.

Annabeth's POV

I sat there, watching him walk away. I was frozen, rooted to the spot by his words. I finally gathered my senses enough to call out, "Percy!" but he just broke into a run.

I can't believe him. Does he honestly think that? Of course I care about him! I don't know why, but these last few days I've started to feel an… I don't know, connection with him. He's just so easy to talk to, and sweet, and funny, and cute, and… what?  
I shook my head. It would do me no good to let feelings like _that _get in the way. Right now, I had a more immediate problem.  
Of course I felt bad for him. I mean, who wouldn't? But that's not the reason I'm trying to help him! I've only really known him for a few days, but already he's one of the most important people in my life.  
The truth is, I don't have that many friends. Sure, I have Thalia, but besides that… Everyone thought I was always too smart, some kind of walking genius, and didn't like to be friends with me. Honestly, I've gotten used to it, but Percy actually talks to me, opens up to me. It was a different feeling, but a pleasant one. I thought that we had actually been becoming friends, but I'm not sure where we stand now.

I sighed and got up. I would talk to him tomorrow, explain everything.

If only I knew that I wouldn't get the talk.

**A/N Mwahaha cliffhanger. **

**Well, this is the second chapter I've posted today. It's a little short, but I got bored and decided to right more. There you go! What did you think? Oh, and if you are a fan of Harry Potter, check out my other stories. I'm working on writing about the Marauders' years at Hogwarts, and I think it's coming along pretty good so far.**

**Thanks, and REVIEW!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	7. Chapter 7

**Haha, how'd you guys like the cliffhanger? I don't normally write those, but I don't know, I just might try it a bit more… ;) Aaaannnyyywaayyys, ready to read? On with the story!**

**Chapter 7**

Percy's POV

Instead of heading home, I went to the beach again to cool off. I would be late, but right now I didn't really care. I'd deal with Gabe when I had to.

I sat on the stand, taking deep breaths and watching the water. A sense of calm settled over me as the anger leaked out. I would apologize to Annabeth tomorrow. The last thing I wanted was to make her upset. I mean, she was the only one who knew my secret.

A while back I had debated telling the others; Nico, Grover, and Thalia. I knew what they would do. They would go after Gabe and promptly be sent to jail for murder.

But I never told them. I never told anyone. I guess it's because I really am weak. Gabe had threatened me, telling me that if I ever told anyone what he did to me, he would kill me and everyone I care about. I couldn't put my friends in danger, and I wasn't strong enough to fight back and try to stop him. I'm too much of a wimp.

After about an hour, I stood up with a sigh. I couldn't put it off any longer, and I guess this is the calmest I was going to be today. I grabbed my worn-out backpack and made my way up the beach to the dirt trail, ducking through the thin wildlife to head back into the streets.  
Suddenly, I stopped, and looked around. I could have sworn I had seen someone behind the bush, watching me from the shadows…

I shook my head and continued on. If someone had been there, they were gone now. Besides, I was probably just imagining things, thinking about what would happen when I got home.  
I reached the door and only paused for a second before pushing it open. I didn't really care anymore. I had resigned myself to my fate with Gabe, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it.  
Gabe was asleep on the couch. I felt my heart speed up. Maybe, if I get into my room, I can convince him that I had gotten here on time, and I won't get as bad a beating.

Maybe not the best plan, but hey, it's all I got.

I walked as quietly as I could, circling the couch and trying to make my footsteps as light as possible. I froze momentarily when Gabe shifted, but he didn't get up. I made it to the hallway and let out a quick, relieved smile. I couldn't believe it. I had actually-  
"Don't try to sneak past me, punk."  
I stopped. I hadn't snuck past him after all. I slowly turned back around to see him clambering slowly off the couch to stand up. He stood there silently, surveying me through his beady black eyes and breathing heavily.  
"You're late," he said quietly.

"I- I-"  
"You were supposed to be home two and a half hours ago. Where have you been?"  
"Well- I"  
I couldn't make my mouth work. My tongue felt like a cotton ball. I tried to swallow, but that proved to be impossible, so I just stood there stupidly.

"I've had it," Gabe said, advancing towards me. "You have no respect for me. I ask you to be home at a certain time, and what do you do? Come home any damn time you fancy! I won't have it!" he said, his voice raising with each word. I stumbled back, looking around for an escape route, any way out, and finding none.  
"You need," he said, glaring at me. "To be taught a lesson."

He aimed a punch at me. It caught the side of my head and I blinked, seeing stars. He aimed a kick at my stomach and I doubled over with a slight groan. He knocked me back so I was laying down, still blinking the lights out of my eyes.  
"You need to learn respect," he said, bringing his boot down on my arm. My eyes widened and I heard a sickening crunch; my arm was on fire, it had to be, the pain was immense.

I didn't cry out. It seemed like I had lost the power to speak. All I could do was sit there as he did whatever he wanted to me. I was too weak to say anything, to fight back. I was powerless against him.

"You need to learn obedience." He kicked my head again, and my vision tunneled. Through the haze, I could see him emptying a beer bottle and smashing it above my head. The glass rained down, snagging and scratching my skin. He then threw it at me, and I gasped as it split open my cheek.  
"I hope you learned your lesson," he said, slamming my head against the wall again.

He grabbed another beer, tottered into the hallway, and shuffled to his room, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving me in the living room.  
I didn't move. My head feels as though it had split, and stars danced around the corners of my vision, taunting me. My arm was still sending bursts of pain up my arm, and I ached all over. Warm blood oozed from the gash on my cheek as I stayed where I was, frozen.  
I don't know how long I laid there. It could have been a few minutes; it could have been hours. I blinked groggily and slowly stood up, using the couch as leverage. I knew I needed to get some sort of help. My arm was definitely broken and my skull seemed to have been split.

I stumbled out of the apartment, emerging into the brisk cold air. It was late, and the streets were empty. I wasn't sure where to go. I was still extremely confused, and in pain. I briefly thought of Annabeth, but I didn't know where she lived. I made my way slowly up the street, not exactly sure where I was going.

Suddenly, a man walked from around the corner. He was tall, his face shielded from the shadows. He froze, looking in my direction.

Suddenly, I couldn't hold myself up anymore. My knees crumpled, and I crashed toward the hard concrete.  
"Percy!" I heard the man say. He dove forward and caught me before I hit the ground.

And that was when everything went black.

**A/N: I know this wasn't a very fun chapter. I don't like writing him in pain, but it's all part of the story. **

**I also know that I am a really fast writer. Like, seriously, I've written three chapters in the last two days. I guess I'm excited, or something. Yay for you! I'll be posting quickly, then.**

**Any ideas on who the man is? Some of you might have already guessed...**

**Thanks so much for reading, and remember, REVIEW! It really makes my day and reminds me why I'm writing this, and I love to hear from you. So please, scroll down just a bit more, write something in the box, and press Review!  
Thanks again, I'll be posting another chapter hopefully tomorrow.  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Annabeth's POV

Percy wasn't at school the next day.

I looked for him all over, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I, being myself, immediately jumped to conclusions. What if he ran away? What if his stepfather went too far, and he's-

_Shut up, Annabeth,_ I thought. Percy's fine. He's probably just… sick. Yeah, he's sick. That's a perfectly logical explanation as to why he didn't come to school today.

So why did I have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind…?

"Have you seen Percy today?" asked Thalia at lunch. She had invited me to sit with her, Nico, and Grover.  
"No," said Grover, frowning. "Where do you think he is?"  
"Maybe he's ditching," snickered Nico.  
Thalia snorted. "Percy? He wouldn't ditch."

"I don't know, if there was like, a new waterpark opening-"

"Nico?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Shut up," said Thalia.

Nico frowned. "You're so mean to me."  
"That's right, cuz. Eat your lunch."

"But what if something's wrong?" asked Grover with an anxious look on his face. Grover was always worrying about something, especially when it came to his friends.  
Thalia rolled her eyes. "She's fine, guys. Gosh, you're acting like we should be at his funeral."

"Do you know where he is, Annabeth?" asked Nico.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking. "Oh, uh, no. Why would I know?"

"I don't know, you two are getting pretty close…" Nico winked.

Thalia snorted. "Please. Percy and Annabeth?"  
"I'm still here, you know," I pointed out.

"I don't know," said Grover thoughtfully. "I think they would be good together."  
"Still sitting here!"

"But they're so different!" said Nico.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I muttered.

"You know what they say. Opposites attract!" said Thalia.

I grabbed my trash and stood up. "If you three are finished discussing whether or not Percy and I would make a good couple, I'm going to get to class." I dumped the trash in the trash can and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving the others behind.

"Touchy," I heard Nico mutter as I left.

By the end of the day, Percy still hadn't shown up. We sat in history. I had finished my work, while Nico, Thalia and Grover were pretending to do it.  
"Maybe aliens took him," said Nico, drawing a skull on his paper.  
"Nah, they'd have given him back by now. There's no way they could put up with him," said Thalia, waving it off.

"Oh! He tripped on a rock and fell through a rabbit hole that led straight to the center of the earth, where he is now battling all sorts of monsters and creatures that haven't seen the light of day!" Nico exclaimed, looking rather pleased with himself.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" he asked.  
"Maybe he's sick," said Grover.

"Thank you, Grover. At least one of you can make a logical explanation," I said.  
"We're logical!"  
"Shut up, goth-boy."  
"I'm not goth!"

I tuned out their bickering and stared out the window where a tree grew, as if it could give me the answers I needed. I ruled out the aliens and the rabbit hole, and I doubt Percy would ditch. He had to be sick. Just a cold, that's all.

"This is stupid. Annabeth, can I have your work?" asked Thalia.  
"No, you can't!"  
"Why not?"  
"Because that's copying! And it's not even _hard _work!"

"Yes it is!"  
"Thalia!" I sighed, exasperated. She was a great friend, but sometimes she could be a bit… overbearing.

"Hey, doesn't Percy live with his stepfather?" asked Grover suddenly.  
I tensed up. "Why?"  
"Oh, nothing," he said. "He just never talks about it. I just realized that."  
"You're right," said Nico. "And he always has family things after school."

"He and his stepfather are very close," I said mechanically. If Percy didn't want his secret told, then I wasn't going to be the one who let it out.

"Apparently," said Thalia, preoccupied. "Just let me see your work!"  
"No!"

"Please?"  
"No."  
"PLEASEEEEEE?"  
"Ugh. You know what? Fine," I said, throwing my paper at it. She caught it with a wide grin. "Thanks, Annabeth."

"Whatever," I muttered.

The rest of the day passed uneventful. Both Grover and Nico managed to finish their work up as the bell rang, and I picked up my stuff, eager to get home.

LINE BREAK  
"I'm home!" I called out, slamming the door behind me. I put my backpack in the closet, slipped out of the converse, and made my way into the kitchen.

"Annabeth!"  
I turned to find my stepbrothers, Mathew and Bobby, running towards me. They were twins, and had recently celebrated their eighth birthday.  
"Hey guys," I said, bending down to give them each a hug. "Where's mom?"

"She's at work," Bobby said.  
My stepmother, Amy, worked as a nurse in the local hospital. My dad was a writer and an architect, and was at home most of the time in his office.

"Annabeth?" called her father from upstairs. "Can you come here a moment?"  
I blinked, surprised. Normally he didn't want to be disturbed until after dinner, when all his work was done, and being called into his office was rare.  
"Coming!" I yelled back. "Ok, go back to the living room." I shooed my brothers out of the kitchen, where they jumped onto the couch, going back to their show.

I made my way up the stairs, dragging my hand along the railing. Soon, I made it to my dad's door and knocked softly before opening it.  
"There you are, Annabeth," he said. "Come in."

I stepped inside. His office was pretty plain; a couch, desk, computer, and a bookcase stuffed to bursting point with books of all shapes and sizes. My dad was sitting at the desk, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He took off his glasses as I sat down on the couch.  
"How was your day?" he asked.  
"Um, fine," I said. He wouldn't call me in here just to ask how my day was.  
"Good, good," he said, sounding distracted. "Annabeth, remember that boy you mentioned? Your friend, Percy Jackson?"  
"Yeah, what about him?" I said, my heart speeding up. He had to be fine, right? But what would my dad hear about him?  
"I don't know if you heard, Annabeth, but your mother called… he checked into the hospital last night."  
"What?" I said, bewildered. "The hospital?"

"Yes, a man brought him there. Found him on the streets, pretty beat up. I know he's your friend, and-"  
"Can I see him?" I interrupted.  
"See him? Annabeth, I don't know-"  
"Dad, I need to see him. Please, we're really close friends. I need to visit him, I know he'll want me there! Please?"

"Well…" he looked at my pleading expression and sighed. "All right. I'll call your mother and drive you over there. Just a quick visit, alright?"  
"I know Dad. Thank you," I said.  
"Of course," he said, turning back to his computer.  
"Dad?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Do you know how he was injured?"  
Mr. Chase seemed to think. "The strange thing is, no one knows. The man just found him on the street and brought him to the hospital. Perhaps he ran into a gang or something similar."

"Yeah. A gang," I said. "I'll go grab my stuff and meet you outside."  
"Ok, Annabeth," he said, closing down his computer programs.

A gang? Yeah right. I'll bet his stepfather did this to him. I felt a knot of anger well up in my stomach. That… that… monster! I'm going to murder him if he did this to Percy. I will grab a gun, walk over to his apartment, and shoot him, which is pretty major to me because I am not a violent girl.

I slipped back into my shoes and slipped my phone into my pocket. I stood by the front door, tapping my foot impatiently. What was taking him so long? It should be simple, just shut down the computer, stand up, put on your shoes, walk downstairs, grab your keys, then drive your only daughter to the hospital to see her injured friend! It's not complicated!  
Ok, so I'm a bit impatient. Who can blame me? I could feel worry rising in me the longer I waited. What if he wasn't ok? What if he had lasting damage? Oh, Percy, you'd better be ok…  
"Ready?" asked my dad, coming up.

"Yes," I said, opening the door and stepping outside. I hopped into the car and my dad climbed in next to me, ready to drive to the hospital.

**A/N: I know, I know, you want to know what happened to Percy. But I decided to do a bit more on Annabeth in here, and have a bit of fun with Thalia, Nico and Grover. Did you like it? I'm already working on the next chapter, which should be a long one. You'll get to see who the man is! A lot of you have already guessed. Good detective work! Anyways, if not tonight, the next chapter should be up in the next few days.  
Please REVIEW!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok, I know you're all wondering how Percy is. Well, here it is! Hopefully this chapter will clear a few things up, and if not… oh well! Hope you like it!**

**Chapter 9**

Percy's POV

I open my eyes blearily, but it was too bright, so I shut them again. My head throbbed, but it didn't feel as bad as before. My arm felt heavy. I was lying on something soft, probably in my bed. You know, this bed did feel a lot softer than it should. And there was no beer cans from Gabe. Hmmm, what did he do again last night? Oh, that's right, he was punishing me for coming home late and I… I went outside… and there was a man…  
I wrenched my eyes open again. Where was I? Gabe wouldn't have brought me back inside, I was positive on that.

I looked around the plain, white room and found nothing of interest except for two other doors and a counter and sink. I looked around wildly and realized that someone was sitting next to me. A figure with curly blond hair was sitting next to me, propped up by the bedside table. She appeared to be dozing off.  
I opened my mouth to speak her name- and immediately started a bought of coughing. Annabeth sat up with a start. "Oh my gods- Percy! You're awake!"  
I didn't respond. I was too busy hacking out my lungs.  
"Here," said Annabeth, handing me a glass of water from the table. I took it gratefully and drank a small sip. Instantly, I felt better. My throat cooled and my lungs stopped burning.

"How do you feel?" asked Annabeth.

I shrugged and looked down at the glass in my hands. Then I realized that my left arm was covered in a bandage, and my cheek felt weird. I looked back at Annabeth, who was still staring at me.  
"You're arm's sprained," she said, answering my unspoken question. "You have stitches in your left cheek and you have a concussion. You've been sleeping all day. It's almost 6:00."

I nodded and glanced away, looking at anything but her. The silence stretched on in the room, and I occupied myself with drinking the rest of my water.

"Percy," Annabeth finally broke the silence, "what happened?"

I didn't respond. I didn't need to.  
"He did it, didn't he?" she asked, and I could detect the anger behind her words. "That's it, I'm telling someone."  
"No," I croaked out, speaking for the first time.  
"Percy, you're in the hospital!" she said, exasperated. "We _have _to tell someone!"  
"You promised you wouldn't-"  
"I said I'd give you a few days, and if it got too bad, I was telling someone. And, I'm sorry, this is my definition of bad."  
"I'll deal with it."  
"That's what you said last time!" Annabeth shut her eyes for a second. "Percy, please. I want to help you."

Percy sighed. "After I'm released from the hospital, ok? We'll talk about it then."  
Annabeth didn't look pleased, but she agreed. "Your friends are worried about you," she said after a pause.  
Percy raised an eyebrow.  
"Thalia, Grover and Nico," she continued. "We were all getting worried."  
"Sorry," I said.  
"It wasn't your fault," she said.  
I bit my lip. It kind of was… if I hadn't been late, Gabe wouldn't have had to punish me. I should have listened to him.

"Percy?"  
I shook my head. "Huh?"  
"You kind of tuned out there. Are you sure you're alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"Hmmm," she said doubtfully. "I should probably go and tell someone you're awake. Oh, and you have a visitor."  
"Who?" I asked, confused.

Annabeth frowned. "I don't know," she said. "It's some man. Apparently, he brought you here. Found you on the street and carried you all the way to the hospital."  
"Who is he, though?"  
"I don't know!" she said again. "He wouldn't give his name."  
"Alright," I said. "I guess you should send him in."

"Ok," Annabeth said. "Do you want me to stay in here while you talk to him?"  
"No," I said. "I'll be fine." When she looked doubtful, I added, "Go, Annabeth."  
She smiled a bit and slipped out of the room.  
I leaned back and shut my eyes, trying to digest everything that had happened. What was going to happen to me now? Foster care? No, I wouldn't let that happen. Maybe I could stay with Nico, or Grover. I couldn't go back to Gabe if Annabeth told.

"Hello," said a voice beside me.  
I opened my eyes with a start to see a man sitting next to me. He had dark black hair, tanned skin, and a kind expression. But what struck me most were his eyes. They were a bright green, just like mine…

"How do you feel?" he asked pleasantly.  
"Fine," I said wearily.

"Hmm," he said, looking me over.  
After a short, awkward silence, I said, "Thank you."  
"For what?" he asked, surprised.  
"For bringing me here."  
"Oh, that was nothing," he said, waving it off.

"Umm… I'm sorry, but who are you?"

He took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eyes. Again, I was struck by how similar they were to mine. Remarkably so…  
"Percy," he said finally. "Percy, I'm your father."

**A/N: What did you think? Good? Hope you liked it! This is my second chapter today, yay!  
Please REVIEW!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here it is, Poseidon's story…**

**Chapter 10**

Percy's POV

Dead silence.  
I just stared at the man in front of me, who claimed to be my dad.  
First of all, that was next to impossible. I mean, to just show up, on the same street I happened to be on, when I needed to go to the hospital? Uh-huh. Right.

But still, his eyes, completely identical to mine…

If it really _was _my dad… Why is he here? Why didn't he come back? I've been living with Gabe for eight years, and now is when he chooses to come back? What was wrong with him!  
I felt emotions welling up inside of me. Anger. Hate. Sadness. And longing.  
I didn't express any of these emotions, though. I stared at him, not saying a word, as he calmly returned my look. The tension was so thick I could have cut it with a knife.  
"Explain," I said through gritted teeth.  
"Percy, I'm sorry I never came back-"  
"Sorry?" I said with a dry laugh. "You're sorry. Sorry for leaving me for eight years, alone? I thought you were _dead!_"

"Please, Percy-"  
"I suppose you've been having a right vacation!" I exclaimed. "Partying it up who-knows-where. Why would _you _need to care about your son? Or your wife? No, just leave them to rot!" I could feel my voice rising with every word I said. The man sat there in silence, letting me rant.  
"You have no idea how it's been all my life! But did you give a crap? No! Want I want you to do know is give me an explanation. A proper one. Because if it's not good, you should just walk out right now, because I don't want to hear it!" I sat back and glared at him, crossing my arms.  
"Well," the man said. "My name is Poseidon Jackson. When I was 24 I married your mother, Sally. We had you two years later. Everything was perfect. Except…" He shut his eyes, as if the memory pained him.

"Your mother didn't know my job. Or at least, my real job. All she knew was that I was a cop, but she didn't know what kind of cop."  
"Then exactly what kind of cop were you?" I asked, still glaring at him, though the story was beginning to intrigue me.

"I worked for a special force, a secret one. We covered the top-secret missions that others couldn't handle. I guess you could say I was kind of like a spy. I couldn't tell your mother, Percy, I would have been fired. I was planning on quitting once we had you, but they pleaded with me, asking to perform one last job. And… I accepted."  
He ran a hand through his hair, just like I do in frustration. He was staring at the wall, as if in some kind of trance, and I didn't dare interrupt him.

"It turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life," he said in a low voice. "I didn't succeed. I made a mistake and was captured by the enemy. They held me for four years before I was finally able to make it out. I found myself in the middle of a desert, with no contacts, no way out. I spent a few months in there, staying alive the best I could, before I was finally found by a local. He brought me back to his small village, where I stayed to recover. By the time I finally made it back, you were six.

He paused, and I digested the information quickly. My dad was a spy? All these years, he's been alive, sneaking around on missions?

"They didn't let me come back," he said in a low voice. "At least, not yet. The people that had kidnapped me were still at large. If I had gone back then, I would have put you both in danger. I spent 6 years tracking them and finally managed to put them in jail."  
So that's why he hadn't come back.  
He was protecting us, if his story was true, and I had a feeling it was.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about him not being in my life, but knowing that he had not done so willingly helped just a tiny bit.

"Then I learned that your mother was dead. I was… devastated. More than you can begin to imagine, Perseus. I loved her," he said, a far-off look in his eyes. He shook his head as if to clear the thoughts away. "You were twelve, and living with your step-father. I didn't think my return would be very welcome. I didn't want to disrupt you two. I've been watching over you for four years, waiting for the right time to enter your life again. And I finally got it, even if it wasn't under the best circumstances," he finished wryly.

"You were in the bushes by the beach," I realized.  
"Yes, I was. As I said, I was keeping an eye on you."

I didn't say anything. I could tell that he was waiting for me to say something, anything. Really, I was debating between punching him in the face or bursting into tears. Instead, I began to talk in a low voice.

"Mom didn't die."  
The man's head shot up. He stared straight at me, willing me to go on.  
"She was killed."

Immediately, his entire disposition changed. His shoulders tensed and his eyes turned hard, almost like a hurricane at sea. "Who?" he growled.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I wanted to tell him. I really did. But after so many years of keeping it in, I couldn't say anything. I swallowed and tried again, getting the same effects.

"Percy?" the man asked, his eyes immediately growing worried.

"I don't know," I said, not making eye contact.

He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. "I'll find him," he said. "I promise, Percy."  
I felt a surge of guilt wash over me. Who was I to lie to him about this? I didn't even know why I was lying! The words had leapt automatically to my throat.  
I guess, after all these years, Gabe had finally beat obedience into me.

"And speaking of finding people," he went on. "Who did this to you?"  
"Look, can we talk later? I'm getting tired, and I really should say bye to my friend Annabeth."  
He immediately looked suspicious, but he didn't say anything. I could tell that this conversation wasn't over, but I could at least put it off until tomorrow, when I could hopefully speak with Annabeth and come up with a passable cover story.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," called the man, sitting up straighter.  
Annabeth opened the door and took a step inside. She shook her blond curls back and eyed the man warily. I could tell that she didn't trust him, even if he had been the one to bring me here. She locked eyes with me, green on grey, and she finally spoke. "I came to check on you, Percy." See how I was holding up with the mysterious man, no doubt.

"Very thoughtful," said the man approvingly.  
"Yes," said Annabeth, switching her gaze to his. He met it unflinchingly. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've been introduced," she said.  
"No, you haven't," I said. "Annabeth, I'd like you to meet my father."

**A/N: What do you think? Did Poseidon make the right choice staying away from them? And what about Percy's lies? Leave me a review with your opinions!  
The story is going to get a lot more interesting now that Percy's dad is back in play. I'm still debating on exactly what's going to happen, but I have an outline written in my head.  
Please, please REVIEW! Tell me if you like it!  
Thanks for reading!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	11. Chapter 11

**Another chapter! Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone, they mean a lot J**

**Chapter 11**

Percy's POV  
For once, Annabeth was caught off guard. She blinked, looking from Poseidon to me. "Your… dad?" she finally said.  
"My dad," I confirmed.  
"But… how?"  
I glanced at my dad, and saw him nod ever so lightly. I turned back to Annabeth and took a deep breath, then recited the story.

Annabeth was a good listener. She was quiet, listening thoughtfully, letting me talk. After I was finished, she pondered what I had said thoughtfully.

"So. You're Percy's father."  
Poseidon nodded once and held out his hand. "Poseidon Jackson."  
"Annabeth Chase," she said, taking it.

I stifled a yawn. Unfortunately, it was caught by both of them.  
"You should rest," said Poseidon, standing up.

"No, I'm fine," I protested, but Annabeth wouldn't have it.

"Goodnight, Percy. I'll be back tomorrow afterschool. And then we need to talk," she said meaningfully.

"Yes, we do," agreed Poseidon. Together they exited the room, leaving me alone.  
I laid back with a sigh. Oh, how things had changed in the last hour. I had a dad… and Annabeth didn't hate me for what I had said to her earlier. I wondered what would happen to Gabe. Obviously, Poseidon was going to find out about him, if not from me, Annabeth would tell him. Maybe my dad could get him sent to jail… and I would finally be free of him.  
I felt a twinge of happiness, and my fingers instantly went to my chest, where a thick scar stretched across it. Gabe had thrown a bottle at me when I was eleven, and that scar had remained. Even through my shirt, I could feel it, along with all the other scratches and bruises I had received.

I shivered against my will, and immediately felt ashamed. Even when he wasn't there, Gabe scared me. How far would I get in life if I was constantly looking over my shoulder, always second-guessing?  
I tried to shake off the thoughts and go to bed. I really was tired. I guess finding a long-lost dad could do that to a person.

My eyes slid shut, and I had a horrible nightmare.  
I was in a plain white room, completely alone. I looked around, confused. "Hello?"  
"Perseus," said a voice behind me.

I turned and came face to face with my dad. He smiled at me. "Dad," I said.

"Perseus," he said again. His face flickered, and I frowned. Suddenly, it turned menacing, and he lashed out, punching me across the face. I stumbled back, clutching my cheek. "D-dad?" I asked shakily, confused.

Poseidon laughed humorlessly. "Percy, Percy, Percy," he said, kicking my chest. I felt the breath rush out of me. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

"What?" I gasped. He knocked me around the head, and when I looked back up, it was Gabe standing over me. "You're mine," he hissed.

"N-no," I scrambled back, but he caught my ankle and dragged me back roughly, slamming my head on the ground.  
"You're mine and there's nothing you can do about it," he said, laughing. "You'll never be able to escape from me. I'll always be there. You get that, punk?"

He kicked my stomach, and I doubled over. "You got that?"  
"Y-yes," I said breathlessly.

"Good." I looked up and watched as he pulled out a pocketknife, flicking it open. It glinted silver, and he slowly turned towards me.  
"No," I gasped as he lunged towards me, ready to plunge the knife into me-

I sat up with a start. The sheets were caked in sweat. I felt my cheek, where I could have sworn Poseidon had punched me, but all I felt were the rough stitches.

I sat back, pulling the blankets over me as if they could hide me from my fears.

**A/N: Yes, it was short, I know! Still, I hope you liked it J**

**I'm getting so many great reviews, and though I can't mention all of you, you know who you are. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. I'd be nowhere without all of my fans.**

**I have been asked if there will be a lot of chapters, and I'm planning on it! If things go well, I even have an idea for a sequel, if people want to read more.**

**Hopefully a new chapter will be up soon. Please, REVIEW!  
Thanks for reading ;)**

**xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is dedicated to EmMarie96. Good luck on your SAT's!**

**Chapter 12**

Annabeth's POV

"He's where?" asked Thalia, her mouth dropped in disbelief. Grover's sandwich lay forgotten, which was a first.

"In the hospital," I said, taking a sip of my water.

"But… why?" asked Nico, worry flashing in his eyes. He may not always show it, but he regarded Percy as an older brother. Thalia and Grover felt the same way, and didn't like any thought of him getting hurt.  
"He hasn't said much. Probably attacked by a gang," I lied, not meeting their eyes. Have I mentioned that I absolutely hate lying? I was never very good at it, especially not to my friends.  
"Oh, when I get my hands on them-" Thalia said, anger spreading across her features.

"They're dead," finished Nico. He glared around at the cafeteria, as if the gang members were sitting there.

"Can we visit him?" asked Grover.  
"I don't see why not. It would do him good to have you guys there. I was planning on going afterschool anyways."

"Awesome. We'll go with you," said Thalia, going back to her lunch.

"Yes, and we'll get him to tell us who attacked him, so we can go and rearrange their faces," said Nico calmly.

I felt a flash of nervousness. What did I just get Percy into?  
LINE BREAK  
Thalia, Grover and Nico headed to the hospital with me. We reached the front doors and they slid over with a quiet 'ding'.

Thalia started wringing her hands, looking around her anxiously. I immediately noticed something was up.  
"What's wrong?" I asked.  
"She doesn't like hospitals," said Nico. "At all."  
"No, I don't," she said.

"Well, Percy's room is just up the hall," I said, leading the way. We dodged past a nurse rolling a cart of needles (which made Thalia pale) and finally reached Percy's room. _Percy Jackson,_ the card on the door said. I gave a short knock and poked my head in. "Knock knock," I said, throwing it open when I saw he was up.

"Hey," he said. "What do- Grover? Thalia? Nico?"  
"Hey, Perce," said Nico, walking over. "You ok?" he asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here?"  
"Well," said Thalia, looking a bit better now that they were out of the hallway. She sat down in a chair next to the bed. "We heard you were in the hospital. So, we're visiting. Tada!"  
"But what we really want to know," said Nico. "Is who the hell did this to you."

"Oh," said Percy. "That."  
"Yes, that. Now spill it," said Thalia.

"Well. You see, it doesn't really matter-"  
"Of course it matters!" said Grover. "They should be arrested!"  
"Couldn't we just kill them?"  
"No, Nico. Percy, tell us."  
"I don't know," he said.

"How can you not know?"  
"I was walking home, it was dark, and I got jumped. A man found me and brought me here. I don't know who attacked me."

If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought that it was the truth. He really was an awesome liar, but then, he's had a lot of practice, I guess. That thought didn't exactly make me feel any better.

"Surely you must have seen something," said Thalia.  
"No, I didn't. Now, let's talk about something else."  
"Ok," said Grover. "Who was the man who found you? Cause I wanna thank him."

"Well, that's another twist to the story," said Percy.

"Go on…"  
"Well, he came in and told me he was my dad."  
"You're _what?_"  
"Seriously?"  
"You're _dad? Weird!_"  
They all talked at once, and it was hard to make out what they were saying. Percy had a slight smile on his face as they all tried to talk over each other and ask questions.  
"SHUT UP!" I finally shouted. They turned to look at me. "This is pointless and getting us nowhere. Can we please talk like civilized people?"  
"I'm civilized!"  
"Can it, Nico."  
"_Is _he your father?" asked Grover, trying to get back on track.

Percy paused for a moment. "Yes. I think he is."  
"Well, where has he been?" asked Thalia, starting to get angry. "He must have known about you! How could he just leave for sixteen years and happen to come across you when you needed to get to the hospital? It doesn't make sense!"  
"He has an explanation," Percy said. "But it isn't mine to tell. I'm not sure if he wants to make it known just yet, but he does have a reason."  
Thalia looked grumpy at this. "So you can't tell us."  
"Pretty much."  
"You suck."  
"When do you get out of here?" asked Nico.  
"A few days. They wanted to make sure my concussion is fully healed."  
"Woah woah woah, concussion?" asked Grover.  
"Can I sign your bandages? Like a cast?" asked Nico.

Percy rolled his eyes. "No you- you know what? Sure. But later."

"You're not seriously going to let him sign it, are you?" asked Thalia. "Cause you don't know what he can write."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Percy shot me an amused look, and I returned it. It felt really nice to be a part of their group, to feel included. It was a new feeling, but it was great too.

"Ok, guys," I said. "We should let Percy rest."  
Thalia and Nico immediately started complaining.  
"No guys, we should go," said Grover, glancing at Percy. "He looks tired."  
"I do? You would think sleeping all day would help."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Bye, Perce. We'll come back tomorrow."  
"Yeah, see you," said Nico. They all filed out, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone.  
"Have you told your father?" she asked immediately, not one for beating around the bush.  
Percy didn't meet her eyes. "Well… Um… You see, there hasn't been an opportunity…"  
Annabeth sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Percy, you're impossible."  
"I've been told."  
"You know you have to tell him, right?" I said.  
"Well, yeah, eventually."  
"Exactly! You will have to tell him eventually, so why not tell him sooner, and get that… man sent to jail!"  
Percy feigned shock. "Why, Ms. Chase. Were you about to use a bad word?"  
"Of course not, and don't change the subject. Tell him."  
"Tomorrow," Percy insisted.  
I walked up and leaned over him, staring him in the eye. "One last chance, Percy Jackson," I said. "You tell him tomorrow, or I will. I've had it with you trying to put this off. You need to tell someone, and your dad is the perfect person. Now, you're going to tell him, right?"  
Percy looked slightly scared as I loomed over him. "Okay," he said.

I immediately straightened up. "Good!" I said cheerfully.  
"You know, you're scary," he said.  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
"Of course you will," Percy said with a roll of his eyes. "Look, go home, Annabeth. I know you have homework to do, and it's not like anything's going to happen to me here. If you haven't noticed, it's a hospital."  
I wanted to protest, but then I remembered the mountain of homework that awaited me at home. "Well… alright. But remember what I said! I'll be back tomorrow afterschool, so do it before then unless you want me to be scary again."

"Whatever, Annabeth. Goodbye," he said.  
"Bye Percy," I said. I gave him a small smile and walked out.  
Thalia, Grover, and Nico were in the waiting room. They looked up as I came over.  
"Ah, here she is," said Grover.  
"How was your 'talk'?" asked Thalia with a grin.  
"Fine," I said, confused.  
"Not better than fine?" asked Nico, waggling his eyebrows.  
"What do you-" then I finally got it. "Oh, grow up, guys!" I turned to walk out.  
"Come _on_ Annabeth!" Thalia said, easily keeping pace with me. "You guys would be the perfect couple!"  
"Right."  
"Seriously," said Grover. "Even _Nico's_ noticed it."  
"Hey!"  
"You should ask him out," said Thalia.  
"Me and him? No way. Besides, isn't the guy supposed to ask the girl out?"  
"That's so old-fashioned and sexist!" said Thalia. "Girls can do whatever we want! I don't even get why we need guys!"

"Yes, yes, we get it Thalia," Grover said. "Girl Power. Stick it to the men. We _know._"  
"Well, it's true," she muttered.

"Listen guys, stay out of me and Percy's love life! It's none of your business, and we don't even have a love life, so it's pointless anyways."  
"Whatever you say," said Thalia. "But when you two get together, I get full permission to say 'I told you so!'"  
"_If,_ for some strange reason, we get together, you can say 'I told you so'," said Annabeth.  
"Awesome! I love saying that," said Thalia eagerly.  
"Too bad you're not going to get to say it."  
"Are too!" said all three together.  
"That's creepy, you know that? Let's just go home. I know you all have a ton of homework that you should do."  
"Keyword should," said Nico. "I don't do homework. It cramps my style."  
"What style?" asked Thalia.  
I sighed. It was going to be a long walk home.

**A/N: There it is!**

**Okay, I'm going to be doing something new. Each chapter, the best reviewer (most descriptive and heartfelt one) will get the next chapter dedicated to them! So work hard on those reviews, and be creative!  
Hoped everyone liked it! I was on break, and now school's started again, so I won't be updating as fast L  
Thanks for reading!  
xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is dedicated to unicornblastpop. Your reviews really stick out, and you do them quite a bit ;) Also, your nickname is pretty awesome. Thanks so much for sticking by this story!**

**Hey everyone! Ok, the beginning of this next chapter will be in Poseidon's POV. I'm pretty sure this is going to be the only time in the story that it's not in Annabeth or Percy's POV, but we never know, I may do some others. Anyways, here it is!**

**Chapter 12**

Poseidon's POV

"Excuse me? Mr. Jackson?"  
I glanced up at the nurse standing there. She appeared to be in her mid-forties, with blond hair pulled back in a messy bun. She smiled a little at me. "Could I have a word with you?" she asked.  
"Of course," I said, standing up. I followed her into a small, private room. I stood there for a moment as she appeared to be lost in thought, then finally began speaking.

"You've revealed yourself to be Percy's father," she said. I nodded. "Well, now that you have, I would like to… inform you of some things that I couldn't before."  
"What?" I asked, feeling a nervousness settle over me. It couldn't be bad, could it?  
"When we were taking care of your son," she continued, "we noticed some… things."

"Yes?" I asked, slightly impatient. Could this lady just get to your point.  
"I'm not sure if you were aware, but your son has many, many scars and bruises. Not all of them are visible. Most of them are on his chest. We haven't questioned him about it yet because he was resting, and no one in charge of him had come. Now that you're here, we thought that you might want to know."  
A cold feeling wormed its way into my stomach. There was no reason for Percy to be so injured. That's why I had left, to keep him safe! Ok, so recently I hadn't been doing that great of a job, but I thought that had just been a kind of freak accident with the gang that I guessed had attacked him. He couldn't have… no. Impossible.  
"Would you like to speak to him?" the nurse asked, and I stared blankly at her for a second before I shook myself out of it.  
"Yes, I would," I said, turning around and heading into the direction of Percy's room. When I got there, I hesitated for a second before knocking on the door.  
"Percy?"

Percy's POV

"Percy?"  
The door opened and Poseidon came in. I sat up a bit more, and my mind flew to the dream I had had before. Of course, it was absurd. There's no way he would do that to me… would he?  
What was there to stop him?

"Hey," I said awkwardly.  
He smiled a little. "Hey."  
Yes, things were extremely awkward between us. What was I supposed to say to the father I hadn't seen my entire life?

He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. "Percy, we need to talk."  
I knew this had been coming. I had my gang story all prepared.

"Take off your shirt," he said.  
I blinked. "My shirt?"  
"Yes, your shirt," he said.

I fidgeted uncomfortably. I was surprised the nurses hadn't mentioned anything about all the scars yet, but I had hoped they would just overlook it. Now, here was my father, blatantly asking to see all of them. What was I going to do?  
"Oh…" I said, stalling slightly. "Er…"  
"Percy," Poseidon said in a warning tone.  
I bit my lip and slowly pulled the shirt over, not making eye contact with my dad. I looked at the cover and heard the telltale gasp.  
"Percy," he said, taking in the white scars that crisscrossed against my chest.. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "A dog attacked me?"  
He just gave me a look.

"Do you honestly expect me to remember every little cut I'd ever had?" I asked, throwing up my hands in exasperation.

He pointed to the one scar that stood out the most, stretching all the way across my chest. "This," he said, "is not a little cut."

"Mmmm," I said, looking up at the ceiling.

"You know you can tell me anything."  
"I know," I muttered, not believing a word of it.

"Percy," Poseidon said. "Look at me."  
I finally turned to look him in the face. I couldn't read his emotions, but I was pretty sure he was upset. He reached out to touch my shoulder and I immediately flinched a way.  
Poseidon stopped, shocked. Then, he slowly lowered his hand, his eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing," I said quickly. "It's nothing."  
"No, it's not nothing," he said, a little bit of heat in his voice. "I want you to stop pretending right now. You flinch every time I look at you, you have dozens of scars- Something isn't right!"  
"I'm fine," I murmured.

"Why hasn't your stepfather visited you?"  
I gritted my teeth together. What was it with all these people and figuring out my secrets?  
"I dunno. He's busy, I suppose."  
"Too busy to take time off to see his stepson in the hospital?"  
"He's a very busy man."  
"Percy…" Poseidon said. "Percy, tell me. Did… did he do this to you?"  
I didn't respond, choosing to stare at the quilt on the bed, fingering it lightly.

"No…" Poseidon whispered. "No!"

I winced at his angered tone. Immediately, he looked guilty. "No, Percy, please." He again reached out and, despite my wriggling, managed to get a hand on my shoulder. "Please, Percy, I'd never hurt you, never!" He tried to look me in the eye, to try to get me to believe.

I just shut my eyes and shook my head. He knew. Now he wouldn't want me. Who would want me? I'd be sent back to Gabe, back to being used for his amusement. No one wants to deal with me, no one can put up with me. Gabe is the only one I could stay with.

Without realizing it, tears were spilling from my closed eyelids. I felt Poseidon draw me in for a hug, whispering soothing words, but I stayed tense, ready to bolt. What was he doing now?

"I'm going to kill him," he said through gritted teeth. I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves. He pulled back and I cracked an eye open, a scary sight meeting me. His face was contorted in rage; his eyes were dark and stormy, like a hurricane out at sea. He looked… he looked ready to kill.

"I'm going to murder that bastard!" he said, standing up and pacing across the short room. I watched him, letting him work off a bit of whatever was troubling at me. Then, he stopped and turned to me, looking almost… broken.  
"How long?" he asked in a pained voice.

"Since I was eight," I said quietly.

His eyes flashed dangerously, then he froze. "Your mother?" he asked, his throat cracking.

I shut my eyes again. "He killed her."  
He stood there, unmoving, staring off into the distance in pain. Then, the anger returned all at once. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" he shouted, punching the wall. I let out a small gasp, but he didn't notice, so great was his rage. "He's dead. Dead, dead, dead."  
He rounded on me, and I shrank back. "You're never going back to him, Percy, I promise!"  
"B-but where will I go?" I stuttered, confused.

"You'll live with me, of course! Now that I'm free to come out of hiding, I'll be able to protect you."

I didn't say anything. Live with my father? Away from Gabe? It was crazy… wasn't it? Or was there really a chance that I wouldn't have to go back to that monster?  
Poseidon sunk into a chair, his anger fading. He seemed to have aged years in the past few minutes. He dropped his head into his hands.

"I can't believe this," he said quietly. "I left you, and he… he was supposed to keep you safe, to care for you. He was supposed to love your mother!" He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes bloodshot. "Percy, did he ever… sexually assault you?"  
"No," I said hurriedly, telling the truth. Gabe hadn't gone that far, but maybe if I had stayed there longer…  
"Good," said Poseidon, obviously relieved. "At least there's that."  
He stood up. "Now, Percy, I think you should get some rest."  
"Where are you going?" I asked.  
"I," he said calmly, "am going to go kill Gabe Ugliano."

**Dun dun dunnn! Ok, sorry for the wait. I had these major tests all last week, and I had to do a ton of studying, and BLEH! It was horrible... I hoped everyone liked it, and I know you are all eagerly awaiting the moment when Gabe gets what's coming to him. And I'd like to say, so am I. MWAHAHA!  
Ok, thanks for reading! Next chapter should be up soon.**

**xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is dedicated to: Jillianne. Thanks for the great review! And good luck with your project ;D**

**Okay, okay. Sorry for the long wait! I had a softball tournament this weekend, and I was at the fields from seven in the morning to eight at night and didn't have much time for writing. But, I got second place! Yay! Well, I know you all want to read, so on with the chapter!**

**Chapter 14**

Percy's POV

I froze for a second, just staring as he turned and walked over to the door, appearing to all the world as if he was just running out to grab some coffee. He had halfway turned the nob on the door before I finally got my voice back.

"No!" I said.

Poseidon stopped and looked back at me, fire burning in his eyes murderously. "That man," he spat, as if he didn't believe Gabe deserved that title, "killed my wife and abused my son. I am going to walk straight over to his apartment and kill him!"

The scary thing was, I could tell he meant it.

My father truly wanted to kill Gabe Ugliano.

"You can't kill him," I said quietly, twirling the blanket in my hands uncertainly.

Poseidon coolly raised an eyebrow. "I see no reason why not. As I am a secret agent, I actually have a gun in my-"

"No!" I said, louder.

"Yes!" Poseidon said, taking a step towards me. I flinched back out of habit. My actions seemed to cause his resolve to harden, and he stood up straighter. "No one," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "is going to hurt my son without having to deal with me. And this guy has hurt you for eight years. It's about time I strike back."

"But you can't kill him! Tell the police, or-"

"I am the police," said Poseidon. "And I'm going to-"

"You can't-"

"I will-"

"Just because-"

"Percy-"

The door burst open, and we both froze where we were, looking to the new arrival. Annabeth stood in the doorway, her blond hair disheveled, looking confused at the scene she had just walked into.

Poseidon straightened, masking his emotions with a cool expression. "Annabeth, how lovely to see you."

"She knows," I said, rolling my eyes.

"She does? And she didn't tell anyone?" He was starting to get mad all over again.

"I told her not to!"

"And why would-"

"Gabe is gone!" Annabeth cried suddenly.

That shut us up.

"W-what?" I asked shakily.

"I went to your house and peeked in, to see if I could get anything you needed. I know, I know, it was stupid," she said, seeing the look on my face, "but I couldn't stand not doing anything. But when I looked in, it was completely deserted. Almost everything was gone; all that was left was beer bottles."

"Sounds like my house," I muttered.

"So I knocked on the door and no one answered, so I opened it, and it was unlocked, and I went in and looked around, and he wasn't anywhere, everything was gone-"

"Annabeth!" I said. She stopped, looking at me. "Calm. Down," I said. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Ok. Calm," she said as if she was trying to convince herself.

Poseidon had been quiet throughout this, deep in thought. Slowly, his face twisted with rage, and he clenched his fists.

"That _coward!_" He hissed. "He ran for it! He must have known someone would find out, and he ran! That's it!" Poseidon went for the door again.

"Hold on, where are you going?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to call my agency," he said, looking as though he were making an effort to calm himself down. "I'm going to find this man, and I am going to make him pay for what he did."

"You told him?" Annabeth asked me.

"Er- not exactly… he sort of found out…"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you're impossible."

"I take offense to that."

"Good. Mr. Jackson, is there anything I can do to help?"

"I think just being here for Percy will be help enough," he said.

"When will he be released from the hospital?" she asked.

"The nurse said that his concussion has cleared up, so after I sign the paperwork, he is free to go."

"Where will he stay?"

"Good question. I-"

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, but I am still in the room. Shouldn't I have a say in this?"

"What?" asked Poseidon, blinking. He appeared to have forgotten I was there. "Oh, yes, of course. Percy, I'm going to be in and out of the house for a while working on catching Gabe. I don't think I quite feel comfortable with you staying in the house alone-"

"I'm sixteen!"

"-so we'll have to make other arrangements," he continued as if I hadn't spoken.

"He can stay with me!" said Annabeth suddenly.

Poseidon frowned. "I can't ask you to-"

"You're not asking, I'm offering," said Annabeth. "I know my parents won't mind, they would love to help Percy, and my brothers will be overjoyed to have another guy in the house. Please, I want to do this."

Poseidon hesitated. "Percy…?"

"That's okay with me," I said in a soft voice.

"Well… if you're sure… I guess it's okay," he said grudgingly. "But I'll be checking up on you."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"I will," he warned.

"I get it," I said. He's getting pretty good at the overprotective parent thing… And though it was annoying, it was also slightly comforting having someone there, caring so much about what happened to you.

"Right," said Poseidon, starting to look slightly out of place. "I'll just… go sign the paperwork then." He turned to the door again and this time managed to make it fully out of the room and into the hallway beyond.

There was silence in the room. Annabeth stood there awkwardly, twisting her hands, and my eyes darted around the room, looking for something, anything, to say or do… I must look like a total idiot, sitting there, not saying anything…

"So-"

"I-"

We spoke at the same time, then stopped, stared at each other, and, together, burst out laughing. After a few minutes, we had calmed down. She sat down on my bed, looking much more comfortable than she had earlier, and smiled expectantly at me.

"So, I'm staying with you, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, a small smile gracing her face and making her look much more beautiful than she already was. Her blond ringlets bounced as she shook her head mournfully "My brothers are going to be jumping off the walls… We're probably going to need to call in animal control."

I chuckled, and then became serious. "Are you sure you don't mind me staying with you? Because I don't want to-"

"Percy, shut up," she said calmly. "I'm doing this to help you, and there's nothing I would do otherwise. I am trying to do something nice, and I would very much appreciate it if you would just shut your mouth and accept that I care about you.

I blinked, hesitated, shocked that she seemed to care this much about me. Did she honestly think this? She must, why would she lie to me? And why would she even come if she didn't care about how I was doing? "Alright," I said uncertainly. "…Annabeth?"

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks."

She turned to look at me, and we locked eyes, bright green on stormy grey. It was as if I were falling into a pool of silver… I was captivated, entranced by her eyes… was this normal?... I had the urge to lean up, to kiss her and never let go…

She turned away.

"You're welcome," she said quietly, and I wondered briefly if she had experienced the same emotions that I had. "I should… I should go call my parents. My dad will pick us up. Get… get some rest, okay?"

"Right," I said, still a bit dazed. "Rest. Got it."

She glanced back at me again, and this time her face was split into a grin. "I'll see you later, roommate."

**A/N: Ta-da! New chapter!**

**Stupid Gabe. He escaped! I want him gone just as much as you do, but it's important to the plot. Sigh…**

**There was a bit of Percabeth in there for all you fans out there; what did you think? Now that they're going to be living together, things are going to get a bit more serious between them ;D**

**I have a four-day weekend coming up and hopefully will be able to get another chapter up then. After Halloween, of course.**

**My question for you all is, what are you going to be for Halloween? Anyone got any unique costumes out there? **

**Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I hoped everyone enjoyed it and will hopefully REVIEW!  
xoxo,  
Kayla**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Dedicated to: BlueDecembers19**

Percy's POV

The ride to Annabeth's house was quiet. Mr. Chase had talked to his wife over the phone for a good half hour before informing me that they would love to have me stay with them for the time being. After Poseidon had signed the papers, he had told me an awkward goodbye and reminded me (again) that he would be checking up on me.

After a while, they finally pulled up to Annabeth's house. I peered through the window, getting a good look at it. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either. It was a light green color, two stories, with a nice patio and garden out front. I couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy as I thought of my apartment, covered in beer cans and stained with my blood.

"Here we are," said Annabeth, opening the car door. "Home sweet home."

Mr. Chase climbed out and opened my car door for me, then held out his hand to help me out. I flinched back, making him frown. His eyebrows furrowed behind his glasses.

"Er- thanks," I said quickly, taking his hand lightly and getting out, shouldering my backpack as I went. It didn't look like Annabeth had told her parents about Gabe, and I hoped it would stay that way. Lately, too many people have been finding out about my little problem, and I didn't want the pity I was sure to get if Annabeth's family found out. For the next few days, I was hoping just to be normal for once.

"Come on," said Annabeth. "I'll introduce you to my step-mom and brothers. I'm warning you, they're a bit… excited."

"Oh," I said, not quite sure what to say.

I followed Annabeth and Mr. Chase up the sidewalk to their front door. Annabeth threw open the door, stepped inside, and shouted, "WE'RE HOME!"

Mr. Chase stepped past her and went deeper into the house, but Annabeth just kicked off her shoes, depositing them by the door. I quickly followed her example and did the same, pushing them into the small pile already there.

Suddenly, I heard noise coming from upstairs. It sounded a bit like a stamped of wild animals; shouting, thumping, and yelling. I took a step back in surprise as two little boys flew down the stairs and threw themselves at Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" they screeched.

They looked to be about seven or eight, and were identical, both with light brown hair and grey eyes. They jumped on Annabeth, and she stumbled back, laughing.

"Alright guys, get down, I just saw you a few hours ago!"

"But we missed you," pouted one of them. The other nodded earnestly.

"I missed you too, kiddos," said Annabeth, ruffling one's hair.

I was surprised. I had never seen Annabeth so care-free, so happy. Her face had a light and easy smile on it, and for once she didn't look lost-in-thought or worried. She turned her face to look at me, a grin lighting up her face.

"Percy, these are my brothers, Bobby and Mathew. Guys, this is my friend Percy. He's going to be staying with us for a while."

Bobby peered up at me curiously. "Are you Annabeth's boyfriend?"

"Um- no," I said quickly. I noticed Annabeth turning pink out of the corner of my eye, but decided to spare her and not comment.

"Are you sure?" asked Mathew with a frown.

"He's sure," said Annabeth shortly. "He's just a friend. Okay?"

"Okay," the twins said, still looking at me.

"Say," said Bobby, "want to come and see my Legos?"

"No, he wants to come and see my paintings," argued Mathew.

"Legos."

"Paintings."

"Legos!"

"Paintings!"

"LE-"

"Guys," interrupted Annabeth. They both turned to look at her, still shooting glares at each other. "Percy will play with both of you later. Right now we need to go see Mommy and get him settled into his room."

"Can he sleep with us?" asked Mathew, lighting up.

"No," laughed Annabeth. "He's going to stay in the guest bedroom."

"Well… alright," said Bobby. "See you later, Percy!"

"Bye!" said Mathew. They both turned on their heels and flew back up the stairs.

"Sorry about them," muttered Annabeth, still a bit red in the face. I shook my head.

"Don't be. They're great."

"Yeah, they're not bad," agreed Annabeth with a small smile. "On the upside, I think they liked you. Let's go see my mom."

"I thought she was your step-mom?" I asked as we walked through the hallway.

"She is," said Annabeth. "A few years ago she asked me to call her mom, and I'm just kind of used to it by now. Force of habit, you know? Oh, here's the kitchen."

We made our way into a large kitchen. Mr. Chase was sitting at the table, reading the paper, and a woman was standing at the stove, stirring something in a large pot.

"Mom?" asked Annabeth.

The lady turned around. She was very pretty, with long brown hair and blue eyes. She smiled warmly at me and walked forward, wiping her hands on her apron. "You must be Percy," she said, holding her hand out. I shook it, slightly nervous.

What if they didn't like me? What if they decided that they didn't want me to stay with them and kicked me out? Poseidon was busy; would I have to live on the streets? What would I do for food? It was supposed to rain tonight, as an added bonus. Maybe I could find some alley to sleep in… I could do without dinner, I've gone without food before.

"I'm so excited you're staying with us," continued Mrs. Chase. "And I'm sure you've already met the twins, judging by all the noise in the hall."

I nodded, relieved. So they weren't going to throw me out just yet. I was a bit embarrassed about my little freak-out earlier, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"Well, Annabeth can show you to your room. It's on the second floor. Dinner should be ready in about half an hour; I hope you like spaghetti." She smiled once more and turned back to the stove, picking up her spoon again.

"Come on," said Annabeth, grabbing my arm. I kept myself from tensing at the contact, choosing to trust Annabeth. She led me up the carpeted stairs to another hallway. One door had a sign on it written in red marker reading 'Bobby and Mathew'. She led me past this one to a door on its right and opened it.

"This is the guest room, where you'll be staying."

I walked in and looked around, dropping my backpack on the bed. Annabeth followed me, watching as I looked around. It was a really nice room, with a large bed, desk, and a TV. Another door led off to a bathroom, and another to a closet. I made a full circle, taking in everything, before turning back to Annabeth, who was watching me expectantly.

"It's not much," she said.

"It's awesome."

She smiled and took a seat on my bed.

"Your family is really nice," I said, sitting to her right.

Annabeth shrugged. "Yeah. Bobby and Mathew are really sweet, but can be a bit overbearing at times. My mom's nice, though, and a great cook. Dad's great, but he's working a lot, so you won't see him that much."

I nodded. I couldn't help the feeling of envy that took me as I sat here, in this nice room in the nice house, with Annabeth's perfect family getting ready to sit down to a homemade dinner downstairs. I never had any of that. Even when my mother was alive, Gabe had been there to ruin every good thing that happened to us. And after she died… well, things went downhill really fast. It's been years since I had had a nice meal; I had often lived off canned food and anything I could sneak from the kitchen, as Gabe hadn't been very keen on sharing.

Annabeth didn't know how good she had it. I would do anything to have the life she had, to be able to come home to a loving family who she knew wouldn't ever hurt her. I never had and probably never would get that luxury. Sure, Poseidon was back, but how permanent was that, really? He had been missing for my entire life; what's to stop him from leaving again? And if he does stay, who says he isn't going to hit me either?

Memories of my earlier dream came back to me and I repressed a shiver. It had seemed so realistic, Poseidon hitting me, and every hit had been worse coming from him. Would I ever be able to completely trust my father?

"Percy?"

I blinked, coming out of my thoughts. "Huh?"

"You blanked out for a minute there," said Annabeth, looking at me. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just thinking."

"Oh," she said. "Well, dinner's ready. Let's go down."

"Right," I said, standing up and following her out the door.

Down in the kitchen, the table had been set for six people. A bowl of spaghetti sat in the center along with salad and garlic bread. Annabeth sat down and motioned for me to sit next to her.

The twins bounded into the kitchen and skidded to a stop next to the table.

"I WANT TO SIT NEXT TO PERCY!" they both yelled at the same time.

"NO, I WANT TO!"

"BOYS!"

The twins went quiet as their mother yelled to be heard. "Bobby, you sit next to Percy," she said calmly. "Mathew, sit next to your sister."

"But mom-"

"No buts," she said. "You can sit next to him next time, okay?"

"Okay," he muttered, trudging to the other side of Annabeth and taking a seat.

"Yes," said Bobby, hopping into the seat next to me. He turned expectantly to me and stared, making me slightly uncomfortable.

"Um- yes?" I asked.

"My birthday was last week," he said.

"Oh, happy birthday," I said.

"Mine was too!" said Mathew from down the table

"Happy birthday to you too, then," I said with a smile, already liking these boys.

"I got new Legos," said Bobby. "Annabeth gave them to me. I made a castle. Want to come and see later?"

"I would love too," I said.

"Hey- hey Percy!" said Mathew. "Annabeth gave me new paints! I painted a picture of our cat, Stanley. Will you see that?"

"Sounds like a plan. I didn't know you had a cat," I said to Annabeth.

She shrugged. "He's around here somewhere. Probably hiding in the laundry room or something."

"Daddy bought Stanley for us three years ago," said Bobby. "Stanley rocks."

"Alright, boys, you can tell Percy all about Stanley later," said Mrs. Chase, sitting down at the table next to Mr. Chase. "Now, it's time for dinner."

The twins made a grab for the garlic bread while Annabeth dished some salad onto her plate. She passed it to Percy. Once everyone had been served, they started to eat, and everything was silent for a few minutes except for the gentle tinkle of silverware against plates.

"So, Percy," said Mrs. Chase after a while. "You're in Annabeth's classes in school?"

"Yeah," I said.

"All of them, right?" asked Annabeth. "Except for P.E., I think."

"So you two must be very close, then," said Mrs. Chase. "How long have you been dating?"

Annabeth choked on her water, and I felt my cheeks heat up. "We're not dating," she spluttered.

"Oh, you're not?" asked Mrs. Chase, frowning slightly. "Well, I'm very sorry then. Just friends?"

"Yes," I said, running a hand through my hair awkwardly.

"Just. Friends," Annabeth emphasized, speaking to her entire family there. The twins made faces at her.

"Of course," said Mrs. Chase, smiling once more. "Sorry for the assumption, you two just seem very close."

"Yeah," said Annabeth. "Best friend close. Not dating close."

My hand gave a slight jerk in my lap at her words. Best friends? We're best friends? I didn't have any problem with that- in fact, I quite liked the idea- but I hadn't assumed anything. But here she was, saying it…

"Mommy, I spilled!" said Bobby. I glanced over to see his glass of milk steadily dripping across the table. I didn't move in time, and some of it spilled onto my lap, too.

"Oh, Bobby," sighed Mrs. Chase wearily, standing up with a napkin. "How many times do I have to tell you to be careful with your drink?"

"It was an accident," muttered Bobby, watching his mom wipe up the mess.

"I know, sweetheart, just be more careful next time, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy."

Mrs. Chase made to hand me a napkin and I unconsciously jerked my hand back. She gave me a confused look as I smiled nervously and quickly took the napkin. "Thank you," I said in a quiet voice, mopping up the milk.

"It's no problem, dear," she said, still eyeing me with a suspicious and slightly worried look. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Annabeth exchanging a look with her father, and I could tell that her parents were getting suspicious.

"I think I'm full," I muttered, standing up. "Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Chase; it was delicious. Do you need any help with the dishes?"

"What? Oh, no, Percy, you don't need to help with that. Are you sure, though? You barely touched your food."

"I'm sure," I said, flashing them a brief smile before turning to deposit my plate in the kitchen. I rinsed it in the sink, staring moodily at the water swirling in the sink, before turning it off and heading upstairs to the guest room.

How was I going to live in a house like this? A loving, normal family that has no idea what I've been through? I felt like I was lying to them, keeping a secret, and a feeling of guilt settled over me. They take me into their home and what do I do? Lie to them? What kind of person was I?

I opened the door and walked in, shutting it softly behind me. I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep, still fully clothed, with thoughts swirling around my head relentlessly as if they were trying to get out.

**A/N: Aww, poor Percy. I love the Chase's, don't you? They were so fun to write, especially the twins! I hope everyone liked this chapter J I didn't have school today, and was completely bored, so I said, 'Hey, I'm going to write a whole chapter today!' And I did! Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought!  
Oh, and I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween! To answer your question, I was dressed as a cat : )**

**Thanks so much for reading everyone! I have my English final on Monday : ( But hopefully I will be able to get another chapter up soon.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Dedicated to: Shelby. I love your 'costume' ; ) You're never too old to trick or treat! Well… maybe you can be eventually… umm…**

**Okay, let's get on with the story!**

Annabeth's POV

"Annabeth, can we speak to you?" said Mr. Chase after dinner. He and his wife were still sitting in their seats, seemingly getting prepared for a long talk with their daughter. I sat back down with a sigh, knowing that it was unavoidable, no matter how much I wished to avoid it.

"Alone," put in Mrs. Chase. The twins made sour faces from their seats, crossing their arms stubbornly.

"But Mo-o-om!" they complained. "We wanna talk too!"

"No. We need to talk to your sister privately, and it doesn't concern you. Now, please go upstairs and play, and stay out of trouble for once," Mrs. Chase said firmly.

The twins left, grumbling and muttering under their breaths. "And no eavesdropping!" Mrs. Chase called after them.

"Whatever!" they called back.

"Soooo," I said awkwardly as my parents settled back down. "That was a lovely dinner, Mom. Do you think sometime you could show me the recipe? You know, I always wanted to learn how to cook. I know you're really busy with the twins and work and all and I just think it would be really helpful if I could-"

"Annabeth," Mr. Chase interrupted. "You're rambling."

I sighed. "I know. What do you want to talk about?"

"Annabeth, sweetie," Mrs. Chase started, putting on a worried face, "we need to talk about Percy."

"What about him?" I asked defiantly. "You already said he could stay here."

"We aren't kicking him out," Mr. Chase said hurriedly. "We just want to know why he's here."

"You know perfectly well why-"

"No, we don't," said Mrs. Chase. "All you told us was that he was in the hospital, was just released, and that he needed somewhere to stay for a while. Why is he _really _here, Annabeth? And don't think we haven't noticed his behavior."

"What behavior?" I asked, feigning innocence and trying to avoid the truth for as long as possible.

"He flinches whenever someone gets near him," said Mr. Chase, "he barely says anything, and he didn't even touch his food at dinner. I was once a teenage boy myself, and I can tell you that that is certainly not normal teenage boy behavior. I know something's up, and I want you to tell me, Annabeth."

"We have the right, sweetheart," said Mrs. Chase gently. "He is staying in our home, and we just want to take care of him. Please tell us, Annabeth?"

I bit my lip. I really hated lying to my parents, but could I tell them something as big as this? It wasn't even my secret to tell, it was Percy's. But they had a point. He was living under their roof… wasn't it only right that I tell them what he had been through? And it might also help him, having her parents knowing. Besides, they were pretty good at figuring things out and would probably put the pieces together on their own.

"Percy had some trouble at home," I started uncertainly.

"What do you mean by trouble?" asked Mr. Chase, frowning.

"Well… his mom died when he was eight, and he's been living with his step-dad up until a week and a half ago."

"But what about his father?" asked Mrs. Chase.

"He couldn't be there," I said, not sure how to phrase it. I couldn't reveal everything about Poseidon; I was surprised he let Percy even tell me.

"Okay," said Mr. Chase, accepting it for now. "Now, what was the trouble?"

"His stepdad… wasn't nice," I said in a low voice. "And he wasn't always the gentlest."

"What do you…" started Mrs. Chase, before comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh," she said quietly. "Oh, that poor boy."

"What?" asked Mr. Chase, seemingly confused. I rolled my eyes.

"Oblivious," I muttered.

"Percy was abused, sweetheart," said Mrs. Chase to her husband in a whisper.

Mr. Chase looked shocked for a moment before anger lit up his face. "That bastard!" he exclaimed. "No wonder he flinches away; he's afraid we're going to hit him! How could anyone do that to a child?"

"Dad, keep your voice down," I said hurriedly, afraid that Percy would hear. I wasn't sure what he would feel about my parents knowing.

Mr. Chase ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched. Mrs. Chase had sunk into one of the wooden chairs and was staring at nothing, a look of worry and concern on her face.

"Oh, Annabeth," she repeated, shaking her head.

Mr. Chase slumped into a chair and was quiet for a while. I stood there awkwardly, looking around the familiar kitchen; the checked tiles, silver appliances, yellow curtains…

"Thank you for telling us, Annabeth," Mr. Chase said finally. "It was the right thing for you to do."

"Yeah," I said softly. "I know."

* * *

After I had finished speaking to my parents a while later, I went up to Percy's room and peeked in the door, wanting to talk with him and see if he was okay from earlier. As I looked in, I smiled at the sight that met my eyes. Percy was spread-eagled on his bed, eyes shut, hair all over the place, mouth slightly open. He looked absolutely adorable like that, and so at peace. I didn't have the heart to wake him.

Walking on tip-toe and staying as quiet as I could, I crept over the bed. I grabbed a patchwork quilt that my grandmother had made from the foot of the bed and tugged it over him, trying not to wake him. I leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Sleep tight, Percy," I whispered, before straightening up and going back to the door.

My hand was on the doorknob when I heard rustling behind me. I turned around, feeling slightly guilty as Percy yawned widely and sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. The quilt was still wrapped around him.

"Hey," he said in a voice husky from sleep.

"Hey," I said.

He patted the spot on the bed next to him, and I crossed the room to sit down. He threw the other side of the quilt over me and I wrapped it around me tightly. I was quite aware of the proximity to him, but it didn't seem as awkward as I would have thought.

"You alright?" I asked quietly.

He frowned. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you kind of rushed off at dinner."

"Oh. That," he said, turning away from me. "I'm fine. I was just a bit tired."

"I could tell," I teased. "Sorry for waking you."

"Ah, you didn't wake me," he said dismissively. "And anyways…" he leaned closer, "you can wake me up whenever you want."

I shivered a bit as his breath blew on my hair. "I'll take you up on that offer," I said evenly.

"Mmmm," he said, leaning back. "So I'm your best friend now, huh?" A smile played on his face.

I frowned quizzically before I remembered my comment from dinner. "Oh," I said. "Well, yeah. We've been through a lot together."

"We have been," he said, turning solemn. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. I had the feeling he wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how to do it.

"What?" I asked.

"Annabeth… where do you think Gabe went?" he asked in a rush, not meeting my eyes.

I softened. "I don't know, Percy," I said softly in an apologetic tone. "He could be anywhere. But I'm sure Poseidon is more than capable of finding him."

"That's what I'm worried about," sighed Percy. "I don't think I would be able to live with myself if anything happened to Poseidon because of me."

"Because of you?" I asked, confused. "How would it be because of you?"

"He's only looking for Gabe because I let him get away with hurting me all these years," he said in a quiet voice, still not looking at me. "If I had fought back, tried to defend myself, he wouldn't be looking. He would be able to get on with his life, he wouldn't have to find Gabe for me. If I hadn't been so… weak, if I wasn't so defenseless…" he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Percy Jackson," I said in a quiet but firm voice. "You are _not_ weak. I don't ever want to hear you say that again. It is not your fault if something happens to Poseidon, and it most _certainly _is not your fault he hurt you. Don't you believe for a second you are anything other than brave, because living with that monster for eight years is exactly what I would call brave. Gabe deserves everything that Poseidon does to him, and more, for what he did to you, and Poseidon can handle him easily. He's doing this because he _loves _you, Percy, not because he feels like he has to. Believe me, if I could I would be out there searching for Gabe right now. I don't want you to _ever_ blame yourself for something like this again. Okay?"

Percy looked rather taken aback by my speech. "But-"

"No buts," I said. "I mean every word of what I just said, and I don't want you to doubt me."

"Okay," he said quietly. "Thanks, Annabeth."

"No problem," I said, punching his arm lightly. "You needed a bit of sense knocked into you, anyway, and who better to do it than me?"

"I can think of no one better," he said with a smile.

He finally turned to look at me, and I caught his eyes. A deep, bright green the color of emeralds with flecks of shining gold in them. I was struck with how beautiful they were. Yes, I had always thought them pretty, but had they always been this _perfect?_ How could I not notice how flawless they were, and the depth that seemed to go with them?

I felt as if I were falling into the sea. He stared deep into my eyes, frozen, unmoving. I felt something stirring inside of me, deep in the pit of my stomach. I wanted him to move, talk, do _anything,_ but at the same time, I felt that I would be happy to just sit here for the rest of my life, trapped forever in this moment, just staring into his eyes.

I didn't even know we had been moving towards each other until I felt his breath. Our eyes were still locked, never wavering from the connection that seemed to have been taken hold of us. I daren't even blink for fear of the moment breaking; we were frozen in time, unable to leave even if we had wanted to.

"Percy," I breathed out.

"Annabeth," he whispered back.

And the world exploded into fireworks as he leaned in and kissed me.

His hand cupped my cheek gently, his sweet, cool lips pressing against mine. It felt as if every part of my body was on fire. I moved my hand up to rest on his shoulder as our lips moved in perfect sync, as if they had been made for each other. I shut my eyes tightly as we went, the quilt gathered tightly around us as if shielding us from unseen eyes lurking in the shadows of the room. His hand moved to press against the small of my back and mine crept up to tangle in his thick, raven hair. This, surely, was life; I felt so complete, so perfect, in my own world- and the only thing that mattered was Percy, his lips, the feel of his hands and his silky black hair-

We finally pulled apart, both breathing heavily. He leaned his forehead against mine and I opened my eyes again, meeting the emerald orbs once more.

"Wow," he said simply.

"Yeah," I panted. "Not bad, Jackson."

"You're not so bad yourself, Chase," he said cheekily.

I leaned my head against his shoulder and he wrapped the quilt more firmly around us. He found my hand in the folds of the blanket and squeezed it once. I squeezed back and we sat that way, in comfortable silence, for a long time.

"I should get to bed," I said regretfully after a while.

"Do you have to?" he asked, pouting like a little boy. I laughed.

"I need some rest, and you do too," I said.

I started to get up, but he wrapped his arms around my waist. "No," he said. "Sleep with me tonight."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest. In truth, I was overjoyed at his request. He really was perfect, and even though I hadn't known it then, I realized that I had been waiting for this for a while.

We laid back on the bed, sharing a pillow. We faced each other, and I had to hold myself back from getting lost again.

"Goodnight," Percy said, leaning forward and giving me a peck on the lips, not as deep as our last kiss but still just as caring.

"Goodnight," I whispered, settling in to go to sleep.

His eyes were the last thing I saw before I drifted off into peaceful slumber.

* * *

***girlish giggle***

**This chapter was very exciting for me to write. I am a HUGE Percabeth fan and I often fangirl over things like this when I read them, so writing it was even better. Did I do all right? I've never written something like this before, so it may not be the best, but oh well.**

**Just to let everyone know, my English final went great. A+! Now all I have to do is wait for report cards. Yippee…**

**So, I have a question for everyone. What is your favorite movie? My friends and I had a discussion earlier, and I was a little surprised at the results. So now, I'm asking you. Please leave a review with your answer and tell me what you thought of this chapter. It means so much to me every time someone takes the time to write one or even just favorite or follow this story. Thanks to everyone who does it! Again, I wish I could thank you all individually, but that would take a long time, so I'm saying it here!**

**Thanks so much for reading! Hopefully I will be able to get another chapter up soon. And for those of you also reading my other fanfic, Peering into the Future, don't worry, the next chapter is already undergo.**

**Wow, this was a long authors note. I really talk too much. Or type too much. Whatever.**

**Thanks again!**

**Xoxo,  
Kayla**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Okay, this is my longest chapter yet, I think, or at least one of them. Yay! It was really fun for me to write, and I hope it will be just as fun for you to read it. But, enough with my chattering, on with the story!**

**Dedicated to: Cabba. I loved the poem : ) Thanks so much!**

Annabeth's POV

I felt myself regain consciousness and clamped my eyes shut more firmly, trying to stay asleep for as long as I could. My bed was surprisingly comfortable, more so than I remembered. The pillow was odd, but it was definitely the best pillow I've every lain on. I snuggled deeper into it, one hand clutching the fabric of the shirt.

Wait. Shirt?

I opened my eyes to find that the pillow I had been using was Percy's chest. He had one arm wrapped around my waist protectively and the other resting gently on my hair. My hand was balled up in his shirt, the other draped across his chest.

My initial thought was to panic. What was I doing in Percy's bed? Have I gone crazy? Then I remembered what had happened last night, and I couldn't stop the giddy smile that appeared on my face. Percy had _kissed_ me. He'd kissed me! And I'd kissed him back! And then he asked me to sleep in his room instead of returning to my own.

_Oh, Dad is going to kill Percy. And then me._

Very carefully, so as not to wake Percy, I disentangled myself from him. Miraculously, he actually stayed asleep, and I tumbled quietly out of the bed, tiptoeing quietly out of the room.

As I made my way into the kitchen, I was greeted by the smell of pancakes. I yawned as I walked into the overly bright kitchen to find Mom standing over the stove, a spatula in hand.

"Morning, sweetie!" she said brightly.

"Morning," I said, sitting down at the table.

"You slept in," she said, flipping a pancake. "It's nearly eleven."

"Oh," I said. Had they not seen me and Percy?

"I saw you and Percy," she continued.

"Yeah, about that. It really wasn't anything, I-"

"It's alright," Mrs. Chase said, laughing a bit. "I thought it was very cute. Luckily for you, your father had to leave early and he didn't see. You know he'd be having a quite a fit right about now. He doesn't think any boy is good enough for his daughter. But I have to say-" she dumped a pancake on a plate and put it in front of me, "nice catch. Just friends indeed." She winked and turned away.

I stared in shock after her. "I- we aren't-"

"Mhmmm."

"MMOOOOMMMM!"

The twins came bounding into the kitchen, still clad in their matching Spiderman footies.

"We smelled pancakes," said Bobby.

"And we came to investigate!" finished Mathew proudly.

"Well then," laughed Mrs. Chase, "you don't need to investigate any longer. Here you are."

They scrambled onto the chairs as their mom set plates down for them too.

"I'll go wake Percy," I muttered, ignoring the teasing look sent after me. "Moms," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I retraced my steps up to the room and walked in, finding that Percy hadn't moved from his position.

I laid back down and looked into his face, contemplating the best way to wake him up. "Um- Percy," I whispered. "Rise and shine!"

Percy just frowned in his sleep and didn't respond.

"C'mon, Perce, wake up."

I poked his cheek and his head flopped listlessly. Somehow, he was _still _sleeping.

"Boys," I muttered, then decided to try a more direct approach. Leaning in, I pressed my lips firmly against his, then pulled back.

His eyes shot open and he looked around frantically, confused. Then, he spotted me and seemed to relax. "Oh," he said, "morning."

"About time you got up," I said, smiling. "I was about ready to dump a bucket of water on you."

"I like the other method better," he said with a grin. Then, he frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "Let's go back to sleep."

"Nuh-uh," I said. "It's breakfast time. You can't sleep all your life."

"But Annabeth!" he pouted.

"No, and stop acting like a four year old! Let's go," I said, starting to get up.

His hands shot out and grabbed me around the waist. I tumbled back into bed and turned to glare at him, only to find him grinning in my face. "Let go," I said, trying to undo his hands.

"No," he said simply.

"Percy Jackson, I swear-"

I was cut off as he pressed his lips to mine. Unable to fight it, I responded, and when we finally came up for air, I was panting. "That's not fair," I said, once I had regained my breath. "So not fair."

"All's fair in love and war!" he said cheekily, climbing out of bed.

"You make such a big fuss about everything, and now the pancakes are probably cold."

He stopped, turning to look at me. "Pancakes?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, pancakes," I said, rolling my eyes. "Cakes made with a pan. My mom's specialty."

"You didn't tell me there were pancakes!" he said in disbelief, looking at me in bewilderment.

"I take it you like pancakes?" I asked, crossing my arms and surveying him with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, I like pancakes. A lot," he said, stepping forward and taking my hand. "Let's go."

"Oh, now he moves," I said, a grin playing on my face as he pulled me downstairs toward the kitchen.

He turned back briefly. "Pancakes," he said, as if that explained everything.

"Good morning, Percy," Mrs. Chase said brightly as we entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mrs. Chase," he said, suddenly a lot more polite than he had been to _me _this morning.

"I hope you like pancakes," she said. "They're on the table. Milk is in the fridge, syrup is on the twins' faces."

The two boys looked up from their breakfast, faces coated in the sticky substance. "Morning Percy!"

"Good morning," laughed Percy as we sat down.

"Now then," said Mrs. Chase as soon as we were settled and eating, "what do you four want to do today? Mr. Chase had a meeting this morning and he won't be back until late tonight. Anything in particular you wanted to check out?"

"THE BEACH!" yelled the twins at once, hopping excitedly on their chairs.

"Okay," said Mrs. Chase, turning to Percy and I. "Percy? Annabeth? Is that alright with you two?"

"Yeah," he said. I nodded in response.

"Excellent. We'll leave in an hour. After you two clean up." She pointed at the twins, who smiled innocently up at her.

"Syrup faces are all the rage in Paris," said Bobby, nodding solemnly.

"Yeah, Mom. You wouldn't want us behind in the fashion, now would you?" continued Mathew.

Mrs. Chase rolled her eyes. "Bathroom. Clean. Now."

They slipped out of their chairs, grumbling to themselves about how unfashionable they were going to be.

"Are they always like this?" asked Percy, bemused.

"They're normally much worse," I said, taking another bite of my pancakes.

* * *

An hour later, we had finally gotten everything loaded into the station wagon and were on our way to the beach. The twins sat in the back seats, bouncing around as much as they could under the restraint of the seatbelts and shouting happily about what they were going to do once they got to the shore. Their earlier argument with their mother over taking Stanley the cat to the beach with them ("But Mom, he likes to swim!") had been forgotten, and they were once more the overly-excited hyperactive kids they always were.

"We're here!" called Mrs. Chase, parking the car.

"YAY!" the twins climbed over Percy and I to scramble out of the car. I shared an amused look with my boyfriend and followed after them.

"Alright, calm down," said Mrs. Chase, getting out and walking around to the back of the car. "It's time to unload!"

She handed the bag of sand toys to the twins, and Percy grabbed both the cooler and the umbrella.

"Oh no, Percy dear, you don't have to carry that alone," Mrs. Chase said quickly.

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Chase," said Percy, smiling at her before turning and walking after the boys.

"I approve, Annabeth," Mrs. Chase said, flipping her sunglasses down and walking away, leaving me standing behind her, an eyebrow still raised.

The beach was deserted today, no one in sight. The twins quickly deposited the bag they had been carrying on the white sand and turned to head into the water.

"Not. So. Fast," said Mrs. Chase from behind them, holding up a bottle of sunscreen.

"But Mom!" they said.

"Nope. Get over here, unless you want to be fried to a crisp."

They stomped over and permitted her to give them a quick coating before turning and sprinting into the water.

"Don't go too far out!" she yelled after them.

"We'd better make sure they don't drown," I said, pulling off the t-shirt I had on over my swimsuit. When I was standing, clad only in a bikini, I turned to Percy, who hadn't moved. "Well, come on then," I said impatiently. "Take off your shirt, let's go."

"Um- you know what, I don't think I'm going to swim after all," Percy said quickly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Right. Let's go."

"No, Annabeth, really," he said, looking a bit panicked.

I frowned and stepped closer to him. "Percy, what's wrong?"

"I just… I don't want to swim, okay?"

I looked into his eyes. "You're lying," I said certainly.

"How do you know?"

"Your eyes," I said simply. "Now, tell me what's really going on, and don't even try to tell me anything other than the truth."

Percy frowned. "I don't think it's best if I take off my shirt," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "If this is because you don't have a six-pack-"

"It's not that," said Percy, "and for the record, I do have a six-pack," he added.

"Then what-" I paused as comprehension dawned on me. "Oh," I said. "Scars?" he nodded mutely.

"It doesn't matter, Percy," I said, taking his hand. "It won't matter to me, it won't matter to my mom, and it won't matter to the twins. It's alright, Percy, okay?"

He still looked uncertain. "Okay," he said, and slowly lifted his shirt.

I gave a sharp intake of breath when I saw his bare chest, covered in scars. I felt a wave of anger overtake me once again as I thought about how he could have gotten those- namely, his step-father. He lowered his shirt and looked at me wearily, looking as though he was afraid of my reaction.

"Well, what do you know," I said lightly. "You do have a six-pack."

His expression was changed to one of relief as he smiled. "Told you so."

"Alright, smart guy. Let's go swim."

I grabbed his hand and lead him out into the surf. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mom watching us with a sort of sad smile on her face.

Together, Percy and I plunged into the ocean. The water was freezing, and I immediately jumped back with a yelp, standing only ankle-deep in the cold water.

"Ah, come on," said Percy with a crooked smile. "It's not _that _cold."

"Says you," I shot back.

"Come on, Wise Girl."

He tackled me, pulling me down into the water. I gave a shriek that quickly turned into laughter. "Percy, it's cold!"

"That's what's so great about it!"

I sent a splash of water in his direction, which he easily dodged before he sent one back at me. It hit me in the face, and I spluttered rather ungracefully, my hair dripping steadily.

"Ouch! It's in my eyes!" I said, doubling over in pain. Percy immediately stopped laughing and hurried over to me, looking worried.

"Oh, gods, Annabeth, I'm so-"

I stood up and splashed him, sending him toppling back into the waves. "Got ya," I laughed, bounding away from him, kicking up water every time my feet touched the ocean.

"Evil," he coughed from where he was sitting in the water, hair hanging in his eyes. "You're evil, you know that?"

"I try," I teased.

We spent the next hour playing in the waves, splashing and running around. At one point the twins joined us in a game of tag (which I lost spectacularly) before Percy and I decided to head in to sit on the beach.

"Want to come make a sand castle with us?" I asked the twins.

"No, we want to swim!" said Bobby.

"You've been in here a while," said Percy, raising his eyebrows.

"'Cause it's fun!" cried Mathew, throwing water into the air.

"Alright, but don't go out far," I warned. "We're not going to be out here anymore."

"Whatever," said the twins, waving her off and diving back under.

"Brothers," I muttered, wading back through the chilly water with Percy.

"You're lucky to have them," he said. I glanced over to find he was focusing on his feet, not looking at me.

"I know," I said truthfully. "I am lucky to have them. And I'm lucky to have you too."

He smiled and put an arm around my shoulders, and together we headed up to the beach. Mrs. Chase was sitting under an umbrella, engrossed in a glossy magazine. Percy and I sat down closer to the water, just out of reach of the tide. He sat down Indian-style and I laid down with my head in his lap, sifting gently through the white sand with my hand. He ran his fingers gently through my damp hair, working out any tangles that were there.

"This was fun," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "You're a real hit with my family, too. The twins are absolutely in love with you and my mom looks ready to adopt you at any moment."

Percy laughed. "That would be a bit awkward, what with you and I dating now."

"A bit," I admitted. Before I could stop myself, I let out the question that I had wanted to ask him for a long time. "Percy, what happened to your mother?"

The fingers in my hair stopped. "My mother?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to- you don't have to tell me if you-"

"No," he said softly. "I'll tell you."

His fingers resumed brushing through my hair and he was quiet for a moment. I got the feeling he was trying to get his thoughts together, figure out the right way to tell me. I didn't rush him, but waited quietly until he started to speak.

"I was eight," he started off in a low voice. "Gabe… was mad. I had gotten into a bit of trouble at school, and the teachers had called home about it. He decided that I was more trouble than I was worth, and he wanted to get rid of me. He confronted my mom about it, started ranting about sending me off to military school. She didn't agree with him. They started arguing." Percy paused for a moment, and I didn't move, frozen with his story. "I was hiding in the living room," he added. "I could hear every word they were saying, everything that he yelled at her, and she was yelling back, and I didn't know what to do.

"Finally, he just decided to give me a good old-fashioned beating." I shut my eyes, trying to control my emotions. Percy was talking in a dead, emotionless voice. It scared me. "He came out to the living room and found me, walked toward me. I was terrified- he looked so evil, so angry, I just knew he was going to try and kill me. Then, my mom jumped him from behind. She was amazing, wrestling him, screaming at him not to touch me, but in the end, she was no match for him."

I opened my eyes again to look up at Percy, who was staring out at the sea. His eyes were unfocused- he was lost in the memory. "He grabbed hold of her throat," he continued. "There was no way she would get out of it. I yelled, tried to get him to let go, but he didn't, and eventually it was too late. He left the room, and I sat with my mom until she died."

Percy took in a shaky breath. "I- I tried to stop him, Annabeth," he said hoarsely. "I really did. It- it was my fault, if I hadn't done anything, if I hadn't been so weak-"

"Percy," I whispered, sitting up to look him in the eye. He looked back at me, and I bit my lip to keep the tears from coming. He looked so lost, so desperate, so broken. A sixteen year-old boy shouldn't look like that. "It wasn't your fault," I said, bringing my hand up to his cheek. "No, listen to me. _It wasn't your fault._ Gabe is the one to blame, not you. Your mother was doing what every mother would do, and what happened that night was all Gabe's fault. Not yours, do you understand me?"

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Good," I said. "Poseidon is going to catch him, you know. He's going to find that man and when he does-"

"ANNABETH! MOM!"

Percy and I whirled around to face the ocean, and I felt my blood run cold.

**A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter! Yes yes, I know, you all hate me. Cliffhangers! I really hate reading cliffhangers, but writing them is ****_really _****fun. I just love to torture my readers : D**

**I hope everyone liked this chapter! I'm admitting right now that I am entirely love with the twins. I wish they were my little brothers! They're so adorable!**

**So this week I actually fainted in class. Yup, fainted. It was so embarrassing. I missed two tests, two, and I actually studied for one of them! Rawr! **

**Okay everyone, that's it for now. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks so much for reading, and please remember to review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Okay, I know many of you have been asking about my whole fainting spell, and many of you are concerned, and I would like to say, Aww! Thanks, guys! But yes, I am fine. My blood pressure got out of wack, and I was just out for a second or two. Thanks for the concern, though!**

**Yes, Mrs. Chase is going to be labeled as Mrs. Chase even through Annabeth's POV, because it's just easier that way, I've realized. The same with Mr. Chase.**

**Dedicated to: I have two people I want to dedicate this to, because I got two awesome reviews from both. epicsilverbullet and thinking hurts my brain. Thanks for taking the time for those awesome reviews!**

**Well, I know you're all very eager to see what happens, so let's read!**

* * *

PERCY'S POV

"BOBBY!" screeched Annabeth from next to me.

The eight year old was very far out in the water; I could barely make out his face. Mathew was standing on the shore, fear evident on his young face, screaming for Bobby to swim, but his brother didn't come any closer.

Bobby was flailing in the rough, choppy water, obviously having trouble keeping his head above the water. He screamed at the top of his lungs, and we could just barely make out his words. "HELP!" he cried shrilly.

"He's drowning, Percy, he's drowning!" screamed Annabeth, gripping my arm very tightly. She seemed hysterical, and obviously would not be able to do anything. Meanwhile, Bobby seemed to be sinking lower and lower into the unforgiving waters. I looked around frantically, but as the beach was deserted, there was no lifeguard. If someone didn't get out there, Bobby was going to drown.

I pried Annabeth's hand off my arm (that would be a nice bruise) and took off as fast as I could into the dark water. The cold spray flew up around my feet and stung my eyes, but I paid it no mind as I waded as fast as I could through the freezing waves. When I couldn't walk anymore, I took a deep breath and dove down, slicing through the waves like a knife through butter.

Underwater was cold and confusing. It was dark, and I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me any way I looked. Currents came from every direction, pushing and pulling me as if it couldn't make up its mind where it wanted to send me. A wave overhead propelled me forcefully downward. I hit the sand hard and slammed my arm on a rock, but easily ignored it, focusing instead on getting air into my burning lungs. I scrabbled in the sand at the sea floor, trying to gain footing. Finally, I managed to spring upward. My head broke the surface.

Taking deep, panting breaths, I shook my dark hair out of my eyes and looked around, wading water. I spun around, looking everywhere for a small head, a flailing limb, anything to suggest that Bobby had not drowned.

"Help!" the voice was weaker, but it was still there. I spun in the direction I had heard the noise and spotted him, about twenty feet away.

Bobby hit the water, trying to stay afloat, once, twice more, then went under. I quickly started swimming in the direction he had disappeared.

"Bobby!" I yelled, treading water around where he had disappeared. I waited, fear eating at my heart, for him to pop back up, for him to come up and breath, as I was sure he must-

He didn't come up.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs the best I could, and dove down. I opened my eyes as wide as they would go in the salty water and looked around, trying to find him.

I felt a momentary bout of panic, so large I thought that it would overwhelm me. My chest heaved as I turned my head this way and that, trying to spot something, anything.

He _must _be here, he has to be, I refused to accept the possibility that Bobby, the hyperactive, excited little boy, could be gone. I wouldn't let that happen.

There! I spotted a dark shape a few feet to my left, and quickly swam over to it, discovering Bobby's body. His eyes were shut, and his hair moved around his head with ghostly movements.

By now my lungs were burning, my chest screaming in pain. I could see black start to eat away at the edges of my vision. I seized the ghostly pale boy under his arms and aimed upward, kicking hard with my feet. I could just see the surface, the white ripples as the sun danced on the water. Just a few more feet…

My head broke the surface of the water. I coughed, spluttered, heaved in great bouts of air. My vision returned, but I still felt dizzy. Still panting, I turned to face the boy in my arms.

Bobby was coughing, spitting up water violently. His eyes were wide open with fear; he looked like a deer caught in headlights. His lips were a pale blue color, but it seemed like he would be alright.

"Bobby," I said, laughing with relief.

The boy seemed to notice I was there for the first time. He snapped his head over to look at me, and he held my gaze for a second before he burst into loud, noisy tears.

"Shhh, it's alright," I said. He put his arms around my neck and sobbed into my shoulder as I turned around and headed back to the shore.

"BOBBY!"

Mrs. Chase came splashing out into the waves as we emerged, exhausted. She took Bobby off me and gave him a tight hug, squeezing the life out of him while she sobbed. "Oh, Bobby, I thought you had drowned, what did I tell you about going too far out, Bobby…"

I waded out of the water, feeling exhaustion creep over me, and made it to dry sand before I collapsed.

"Percy," Annabeth said hoarsely, dropping to her knees next to me and laying a hand on my shoulder. "Percy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, sitting up.

"Oh, Percy!" Annabeth cried, throwing herself on me and burying her face into my shoulder. "Thanks you so, so much! He would have drowned, Percy, Bobby would have drowned if you hadn't saved him-"

"It was nothing," I muttered, feeling a blush spread to my cheeks.

"It was _not _nothing, and I don't want you to pretend it was!" she said sternly, leaning back to look at my face. Then her face broke into a smile, and she leaned forward and gave me a quick, slightly tentative kiss on the lips. I could tell she was new to the whole thing, and truth be told, I was too.

"We should check on Bobby," I said, and allowed her to help me up. We walked over to the small group. Mathew was sitting next to his twin, still looking slightly shocked. Bobby was still being smothered by Mrs. Chase.

"Mom- I'm fine-" he said, pushing her off finally. His hair was still soaked and he looked a bit pale, but the color had returned to his lips. "Really."

Mrs. Chase turned around and spotted me, and immediately stood up. "Percy!" she cried, stepping forward and wrapping me in a motherly hug. I took a surprised step backward before tentatively returning it. She stepped back and smiled at me, her eyes watering. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved my little boy!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but Annabeth glared at me from behind her mother's back. I gulped at her look and changed my mind. "Of course," I said. "It was no problem."

"Yes it was, oh, I thought you'd both drowned, I can never thank you enough," she said, giving me another hug before releasing me and looking at me sternly. "You're freezing cold, Percy, and I wouldn't be surprised if you have a cold. You too, Bobby, and stop rolling your eyes at me, young man!

"I'm _fine!_" said Bobby, exasperated, but his lips were chattering. I wrapped my arms around myself, realizing for the first time how cold I was.

"Come on," Mrs. Chase said, wrapping a towel around my shoulders before moving to Bobby's. "Let's get home. I daresay we've had enough excitement for a while."

* * *

As soon as we returned to the Chase's house, Mrs. Chase ordered Bobby and I into a shower. Bobby had grumbled, but I gladly made my way into the guest bedroom and shut the door behind me. I was exhausted and sore from fighting through the waves, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But I knew that a warm shower would make me feel better, so I carefully peeled my still wet clothes off. After a few seconds of consideration, I dumped them in an unceremonious pile on the tiles in the bathroom.

I went over to the shower and turned the water on as hot as it would go. Steam immediately poured out of it. I ducked in and shut my eyes as the hot water rushed over me.

I felt my muscles relax and for a long time I just stood there, soaking in the heat and letting my mind wander wherever it wanted.

My life had changed so much in just the last few weeks. I was away from Gabe, just saved a little boy's life, and was living with my girlfriend. And I had a _girlfriend._ And she was Annabeth Chase, the least likely girl anyone would have guessed for me.

_Oh, Nico, Thalia, and Grover are going to have a field day with this, _I thought to myself. I was glad it was Saturday, as I had a feeling I wouldn't be ready to go to school tomorrow. I probably had a lot of make-up work to do, as I had missed about two and a half weeks while I had been in a hospital, and the aftermath of everything. Oh, joy. Piles and piles of work, oh my.

I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a big, fluffy towel off a rack next to the sink. I ran it through my hair before wrapping it around my waist and stepping back out into my room.

I looked longingly at the bed, sitting there, so perfect, before turning to search through my clothes for something to wear. Then, the door opened.

"Percy, Mom says-"

Annabeth froze in the doorway, and I froze where I was, and we just stood there staring at each other, me dressed only in a towel. Slowly, a blush spread across her cheeks, and even though I could feel heat rising in my own, I snickered in my head that I could make her blush.

"Oh," she said. "Whoops."

"Yeah," I said awkwardly.

"What have you been doing up here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were you in the shower for 45 minutes?"

"Er- I might have been…" I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, Percy. Anyways, Mom says that dinner's ready, and you're not allowed to skip. She made chicken noodle soup."

"Okay," I said. "I'll be right down."

"Yeah," she said. "And put on some pants," she added.

She left me standing there, my mouth open in shock, my face as red as the setting sun. I could almost hear her smirking behind the door.

"Well then," I muttered, turning back to the dresser.

* * *

**A/N: Gods, I love Percabeth so much it hurts. Like, so much. I hope I did okay with the beach scene, it was pretty fun to write. **

**I posted a new one-shot for Harry Potter, it's totally random and completely pointless! Yay! It's called The Roses, so if you want, check it out. Also remember, I am writing a 'Characters Read' story for Harry Potter, so if any of you like that stuff, please check it out! **

**As always, thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed, and make sure to review for this chapter, too! **

**If I don't post by then, Happy Thanksgiving!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	19. Chapter 19

**Greetings, my fellow fanfictioners! Is that even a word? Er, I don't think so. Oh well, it's a word now.**

**I took an unexpected day trip to San Diego yesterday and didn't get the chance to write until now. Sorry! But it was very fun. I went to Sea World! Yay!**

**Yes yes, I'm babbling, and you all want to hear the chapter. But first, a dedication…**

**Dedicated to: emmalunajackson33 because I agree. The twins are very adorable : )**

**And so, without further ado, chapter 19! *Off tune TA-DA!***

* * *

**Chapter 19**

ANNABETH'S POV

Oh gods, I thought. I can't believe I just walked in on Percy.

Wearing nothing but a towel.

After I had shut the door, I stood there for a second, still slightly in shock. He had looked so perfect standing there, his hair wet and hanging in his brilliant green eyes, water glistening on his tan skin, his six-pack visible even through his scars, which I thought looked fine on him anyways.

_Stop it, Annabeth,_ I mentally scolded myself. _You're being ridiculous._

_Shut up, _I thought back.

Wow, am I talking to myself?

That's kind of sad.

I hurried downstairs and into the brightly lit kitchen, where Mrs. Chase was setting bowls of steaming soup on the table.

"Percy's coming," I said, sitting down. "He just got out of the shower, he's changing now."

"Oh, and you would know how?" asked Mrs. Chase, raising an eyebrow and grinning cheekily at me.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered, blushing furiously.

The twins walked in, talking excitedly about who knows what. They both had wet hair from their bath and were already clad in their blue pajamas. I smiled as I saw them both here, together, safe, and not floating at the bottom of the ocean.

"I'm hungry," Bobby announced to the world.

"Then eat up," Mrs. Chase said, putting a bowl in front of him and Mathew.

Percy came in shortly after, luckily with his pants on. He sat down next to me, not meeting my eye. I guess he was still embarrassed about what I had walked in on, as was I.

"Ah, Percy," said Mrs. Chase, smiling broadly. "There you are. Nice shower?"

Percy nodded, pink flushing his cheeks.

I heard the sound of the front door slamming. "I'm home!"

Mr. Chase came into the kitchen, dropping his bag down and giving a weary sigh. "Dinner looks great," he said, giving Mrs. Chase a quick kiss before sitting down.

"Hi Daddy!" the twins said.

He smiled and ruffled their hair. "Hey, sports. How was your day?"

"Fun," said Mathew.

"I nearly drowned, Dad!" said Bobby.

Mr. Chase choked on the soup he had been eating. "You _what?_"

"He went out too far," said Mrs. Chase, scowling at the young boy. Bobby smiled sheepishly. "Nearly died. He would have if Percy hadn't jumped out and saved him."

"He- what-" Mr. Chase looked shocked for a moment before turning to Percy. "Thank you," he said seriously.

"It was nothing," Percy muttered.

"It was awesome!" said Mathew. "He was like, a superhero or something! Percy was all jumping in the water, and swimming out, and he dove under, and we thought he was dead, but then he came up with Bobby and everything was okay!"

"Wow," said Mr. Chase. "Busy day?"

"Very," I said, taking a sip of my warm soup.

* * *

After everyone had gone to bed I sat in my room, unable to sleep. I looked around for anything to do, but couldn't find anything. I sat in silence for a few more minutes before I sighed. This is ridiculous. I knew why I couldn't get to sleep.

I stood up and opened my door, slipping into the dark hallway. I walked slowly, trying not to make any noise and wake my family up. I finally made it to Percy's door and stopped, gingerly placing my hand on the cold doorknob and turning it.

I stepped in and turned around, shutting the door behind me. I wasn't sure what I was going to do in Percy's room; I just wanted to check on him.

"Hey."

I jumped about a foot in the air and spun around. Percy was sitting on his bed, wide awake and looking rather amused.

"Jumpy?"

"Shut it," I growled, walking over to join him on his bed. I sat down and pulled a blanket around me, shielding myself from the cold air. "Why are you still up?" I asked him.

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second?"

"Do you honestly want to go there?"

He paused for a second, debating silently in his head. "I couldn't sleep," he finally said, obviously deciding not to test me. Ha.

"Me either," I said.

He shifted over in his bed, clearing a spot, and patted the sheets next to mine. I climbed in immediately and he drew the blankets over us.

"I could get used to this," he said with a grin at me.

"Me too," I admitted. I sighed contentedly at the warmth the heavy blankets were offering. Then I frowned. Actually, it was unnaturally hot, much too warm for just two bodies. I leaned on to my side and put my hand on Percy's forehead.

"Percy," I scolded. "You're burning up!"

"Am I?" he asked vacantly.

I smoothed back his hair to find it drenched in sweat. He looked at me sheepishly and I noticed how pale he was.

"You're sick, Seaweed Brain," I growled at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't notice?" he asked hopefully.

"Uh-huh."

"I didn't want to bother you," he muttered, giving in.

"Idiot," I said, rolling my eyes. "When are you going to learn that you can bother me with anything? I _want _to be bothered with this stuff, so I can help you. Boys are too proud for their own good," I added under my breath. I threw off the blankets and swung my feet over the bed, standing up. "You stay there," I said sharply as Percy made to get up too. He made a face but collapsed back against the pillows obediently.

"I'll be right back," I said, slipping back out into the hall. I crept into the bathroom and flicked on the lights, flooding the small room with color. I opened the medicine cabinet and rifled through the different medicines. "Ah-hah," I muttered, grabbing an orange bottle. I then grabbed a small rag and ran it under the freezing cold water.

"Here you go," I said once I was back in Percy's room. I folded the rag and laid it gently across his forehead. He let a satisfied sigh escaped his lips and I grinned. "Told you I could help. Take this," I said, handing him a glass of water and shaking a pill out of the bottle.

Once he had taken it, I smoothed the rag on his forehead. "Does anything else hurt?" I asked. "Your stomach, your head, anything?"

"No," he said, yawning. "I'm just tired."

"Then sleep," I ordered.

He shut his eyes tiredly and I walked around to lay down next to him again. His eyes popped open again and he glanced at me, confused.

"I'm staying here to keep an eye on you," I said. "Now _sleep._"

And without another word he was out like a light.

* * *

I slept on and off, getting up multiple times to change the rag on his forehead and to make sure he was doing okay. He hadn't woken up, but he didn't seem as pale as earlier, so I must be doing something right, I guess.

I got up for the fifth time, took the now warm rag off his forehead and made my way into the bathroom, running it under the tap. After it was soaked, I turned off the sink and rung it out, then made my way back into the bedroom, folding it up as I went. When I reached the bed, I stopped.

Percy was thrashing around, a pained look on his face. His eyes darted around frantically under his eyelids, and his hands were clenching the sheets so hard his knuckles had turned white. His breathing came out in sharp, heavy bursts.

"Percy," I whispered softly, putting the rag down on the table by his bed and sitting down next to him. I placed a hand on his forehead and grabbed his hand. "Percy, it's Annabeth. Wake up, it's okay, you're okay."

He didn't immediately respond, but his grip on the sheets slackened slightly. "Percy," I said in a slightly louder voice, "wake up, Percy."

Finally, his eyes flew open. He sat up fast and I snatched my hands back, surprised at his speed.

He looked frantically around for a moment before his eyes found me. His eyes were clouded and bloodshot, full of fear, but when he saw me, he stopped. "Annabeth," he breathed, his shoulders relaxing. He blinked, and his eyes came back into focus. They were also full of tears.

"Shhh," I said, sitting back down and wrapping my arms around him. "You're okay. It was just a dream."

He was shaking, still pretty tense. "It- I-" he stuttered.

"Shhh," I said again, rubbing small circles into his back. "It's alright."

For a while we just sat there, and I held him. He slowly calmed down and returned my hug. "Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He hesitated, on the verge of speaking.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want," I said.

That did it. He launched into speech.

"It was a memory," he said in faltering tones. I frowned, but didn't say anything. "Of Gabe," he said in a quiet voice. I pursed my lips, staying quiet.

"He- he was mad," Percy went on. "I came home late. He was- was hitting me, like normal, and then he pulled out- he pulled out his knife-"

Percy stopped here, his breath speeding up. I resumed rubbing his back, as I could tell he was on the verge of a breakdown. "Shhh," I said again, trying to calm him down. "It was only a dream. He can't get you here, Percy, you're safe."

"Am I?" he asked doubtfully.

"You are," I said confidently. "You are, Percy. We'll protect you, everyone. My family, your dad, me- we aren't going to let him do anything to you ever again, and there is no way that we will _ever _do what he did to you. You don't need to worry about that anymore."

Slowly, he nodded. I leaned back and looked into his face. "You're burning up," I said quietly. "Lay back down."

He obeyed, too exhausted to do anything else. I picked up the rag again and laid it down on his forehead, smoothing out the wrinkles.

As I pulled away, he caught my hand in his own. I stopped, and he opened an eye shakily. "Thanks," he said hoarsely.

I smiled and leaned down, gently kissing him. "You're welcome," I said quietly, before pulling away and joining him on the opposite side of the bed.

* * *

**A/N: Awwww. Have I mentioned I love them? Cause I do.**

**So, has everyone seen Breaking Dawn part 2? I haven't. I still have to see part 1… I'm not the biggest Twilight fan, but I enjoyed the first three books enough. Any super fans out there? My friend actually skipped school to go see it. Nutcase…**

**I got fuzzy socks at Sea World! Yay! And I haven't fainted lately! Double yay!**

**Okay, question of the day: What's your guys' favorite song? Mine is Little Things by One Direction. If you haven't heard it yet, listen to it. It's so sweet and beautiful, every time I hear it I'm just like, awww. Seriously, look it up!**

**Has everyone been enjoying Thanksgiving Break so far? I know I have : ) Hopefully I'll be going to Knotts Berry Farm tomorrow with my friend.**

**Alright, that about wraps it up. Thanks so much for reading, everyone! And please, REVIEW! Let's see how close we can get to 300 this chapter!**

**Next chapter will hopefully be up soon. Until then, have fun, and Happy Thanksgiving!**

**Xoxo,  
Kayla**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, I was focusing on another story and just got around to this.**

**Dedicated to: gradegirl. Your reviews were absolutely amazing, and they made my day. Thank you so, so much! You rock! : )**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Annabeth's POV

When I got up the next morning, I checked Percy's temperature, and sighed in relief. His fever had broken overnight, and he was sleeping peacefully.

I stood up and slipped into my room, grabbed a change of clothes, and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. After I had finished, I stepped out and made sure to change in the bathroom. I didn't want to have another awkward run-in with Percy.

I dried my hair with a towel as I walked out wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and headed back into Percy's room. When I walked in, he opened his eyes and yawned.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," I said. "How do you feel?"

"Better," he said hoarsely. He rubbed his eyes and looked blearily at me. "What's for breakfast?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Do you always think with your stomach?"

"Maybe."

"Tell you what," I said, running the towel through my blond hair one last time. "Let's go out for breakfast today."

"Go out?" Percy asked, confused. I rolled my eyes. He was so slow in the morning.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, go out. As in, a restaurant. Leave the house."

Percy let out another yawn before nodding. "Sounds great," he said. "Lemme get changed."

I shook my head and walked out of his room. Boys. "I'll meet you downstairs," I called over my shoulder as I walked down.

No one else was up yet, despite it being nearly ten o'clock. My family is so lazy on Sundays. I grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper and scribbled a note for my mom, leaving it on the counter. By the time I had finished, Percy had come down, wearing a hoodie and jeans and looking a lot more awake then he previously had.

"Where are we going to eat?" he asked.

"Patello's," I said, referring to the small diner in our town.

"Awesome," Percy said, opening the door. "After you."

* * *

Percy's POV

Annabeth and I walked to the diner, chatting about anything that came to mind. The ten minutes it took to get to the diner passed quickly, and soon we were at the front door.

I wrapped my arm around Annabeth's waist as we walked in, and she leaned into my side. I leaned in close to her ear. "Where do you want to sit?" I whispered, grinning when she shivered slightly as my breath tickled her cheek.

"Anywhere. I-"

"Percy! Annabeth!"

Annabeth and I glanced around to find Thalia, Nico, and Grover waving us over from a booth to the side.

"Oh, fantastic," I muttered. "They're going to give us such a hard time…"

Annabeth laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the table. "You mean they're going to give _you _a hard time. Oh, this is going to be so much fun…"

"You're mean. I thought you liked me."

"Aww," Annabeth said, reaching up to give my cheek a pat. "I do. But it's still fun to mess with you."

"Hey, guys!" said Thalia brightly, scooting over to let us in.

"You two look rather cozy," said Nico, waggling his eyebrows.

"Shut it, Nico," I growled at him.

"Percy's my new roommate. Of course we'd be rather close," said Annabeth.

Grover choked on the Pepsi he was drinking. "_Roommate?_"

"He's staying with me for a while," Annabeth said. "His- his stepdad- had to go somewhere else. And his dad is busy."

"Where did his stepdad go?" asked Thalia.

"He's visiting some family," I cut in. "I'm not sure where. I don't need him anymore, though, now that my dad is back."

"He just left like that?" asked Grover.

"Yes. Now, let's talk about something else."

Grover, Thalia, and Nico glanced at each other, but changed the subject.

"Soooo," said Thalia, leaning on her hand. "You two dating yet?"

"I-"

"No-"

"What are you-"

Annabeth and I spluttered for a bit more, red in our faces, before glancing at each other, locking eyes.

_They're going to find out some time, _her eyes were saying.

_This is going to be so embarrassing, _I grumbled back.

She raised an eyebrow. _Wimp._

I frowned. _I am not a wimp!_

"Er… I hate to interrupt, but what are you doing?" asked Grover.

"Can you two speak with your minds?" asked Nico eagerly.

"Nah, they're just really close. Cause they're _dating,_" said Thalia.

"You know what?" I said. I turned around, cupped Annabeth's cheek, and kissed her. Annabeth responded easily and eagerly, meeting my lips in perfect sync. After a moment I pulled back and turned to our three other friends, who were staring with their mouths dropped. "Does that answer your question?" I snapped at them.

Thalia shook herself out of it first. She turned to Annabeth and grinned. "I. Told. You. So."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"So," said Nico. "Mr. and Mrs. Jackson."

"We're not married," said Annabeth.

"It's only a matter of time," laughed Grover.

"I'm not going to propose to her tonight," I said, rolling my eyes. "You guys are blowing this way out of proportion."

"Are we Percy?" asked Nico in a deep voice. "Are we really?"

"Yes."

"Ugh," said Thalia tomorrow. "I just realized. We have school tomorrow, don't we?"

"Oh no," I moaned. "I'll have so much make-up work to do…"

"I'll help you," said Annabeth.

"Oooh, Annabeth's gonna help you," said Grover with a grin.

"I knew you three would be impossible!" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes.

"Ignore them Percy; they're just jealous," said Annabeth with a smirk.

Thalia squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay. Did _not _need that picture."

At that point, the waitress came over to take our orders. I glanced at the menu and ordered blueberry pancakes. The waitress smiled at us and flounced away, her blond ponytail bobbing around.

"How's Juniper, Grover?" asked Annabeth.

Grover let out a sort of bleating noise. "She got back to school right after Percy left," he said, his eyes glazing over. "And she's doing absolutely fabulous."

"Earth to Grover," said Thalia, waving her hands in front of his face. "Come back to us, Grover."

"I haven't gone anywhere," he snapped at her.

"Sure you haven't.

"I'm hungry," said Nico.

"_No,_" said Thalia sarcastically. "I never would have guessed it, aside from the fact that we're, you know, _in a restaurant._"

"Look, it was just a comment, you don't have to be mean about it," defended Nico.

"And you didn't have to make that comment! We're all hungry, stupid."

"Who are you calling stupid, Pinecone Face?" Nico smirked.

I snorted. I remembered the day she had gotten that nickname. It was a few years ago, maybe fifth or sixth grade. We had gone to a local park for a field trip, and all these little kids had started throwing pinecones at Thalia because she had tried to kick them off of the swings. Most of them had hit her in the face, and I, clutching my side from laughing, exclaimed, "Pinecone Face!" We used the nickname on her when we wanted to annoy her.

"Don't call me that," she growled.

"Why not?" asked Nico innocently. "I just said _Pinecone Face._"

"I'm going to kill you," said Thalia, rising out of her seat, but luckily, any killing that she was about to perform was interrupted by the arrival of the food. The waitress glanced at Thalia and quickly scurried back to the kitchens, alarmed.

"Good going, Thals," said Nico. "Your face scared the waitress."

"Your face will scare anyone once I finish with it," Thalia muttered darkly, stabbing her eggs with a fork.

"Is that a threat?"

"Can you guys give it a rest?" I snapped, annoyed.

The cousins glared at each other but started eating, finally taking a break from their arguing.

The meal continued in peace (or, as peaceful as one could get with the occupants of it). Nico threw a piece of bacon at Thalia and she doused him with her glass of water, but for them that was pretty polite.

"I love this place," said Nico, his hair dripping into his lap.

"You love any place with food," said Thalia, rolling her eyes.

"So do you, Pinecone Face," I said with a grin.

"Shut it, Kelp Head," said Thalia, whacking me in the back of the head.

The effect of her light smack was instantaneous. I dropped my fork with a clatter and jumped away from her, fear brimming in my eyes. Her face changed to one of confusion and concern.

"Percy?" she asked, reaching a hand out to me. I jerked my arm away from her. "What's wrong?"

"Percy-" Annabeth started, but I jumped out of the booth.

"Bathroom," I grunted, turning and basically sprinting towards the bathroom.

"Don't run, kid!" called the waitress from behind me, but I ignored her, opening the door to the restroom and slamming it shut. I quickly locked it and backed away, my heart beating fast.

_Stupid, _I thought crossly. Now they're going to wonder why you reacted like this. But I couldn't help it, that smack reminded me far too much of my beatings. I shivered and dropped to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest.

_I'm so weak, _I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. _I know Thalia didn't mean anything by it, but I let it get to me. I'm such a wimp._ I buried my head farther into my knees, trying to hide from my problems.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

"Oh, good going, Thalia," said Nico angrily. "How hard did you hit him?"

"I barely touched him!" said Thalia, bewildered.

"Then why did he act like that?" asked Grover, furrowing his eyebrows.

They all turned as one to me.

"I-" I said, lost for words. I didn't know how to explain it to them. "I-" I stood up, cautiously backing away from them.

"Annabeth," said Thalia warningly, "what's going on? What's wrong with Percy?"

I opened my mouth again to explain before turning around and making a break for the bathroom. I banged on the door, not caring that it was the men's restroom. "Percy," I said. "Open up. It's me, Annabeth. Percy, please."

For a moment I was afraid that he wasn't going to open it, but then the lock clicked. I quickly turned the doorknob and slipped in, shutting the door and locking it again behind me.

I turned around to find Percy facing away from me. His arms were crossed, shoulders tensed; his hair hung in his eyes, throwing them into shadows.

I hesitated, not sure what to say, but he spoke first. "What do you want?" he asked in a low voice.

"I came to check on you," I said, worry overcoming me.

"Here I am," he said, his voice a monotone. "I'm fine. Go back out, finish your meal."

"You are _not _fine," I snapped. "And I am _not _leaving." I took a step forward and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. He tensed further, but I took it as a good sign that he didn't jump away. "Are you alright?" I asked quietly, concern filling my voice.

Percy turned around to face me, and I could see his eyes, full of pain. "No," he said in a quiet voice. "No, I'm not alright. Every damn time someone touches me, I can see him, Annabeth. I can see him, standing there, laughing at me. I can see him, raising a fist, a belt, a knife, anything he can get a hold of." Percy shut his eyes, a shiver wracking through his body. "I can see him right now," he said, his eyes still shut tight. He clenched his hands in a fist by his side, so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I'm scared, Annabeth," he said in an even quieter voice.

I leaned forward and took his hand, gently massaging them open. After a moment, it went slack, and I slipped my hand into his, walking forward. "I know you're scared," I said quietly, pushing his chin upward gently to meet my eyes. "I understand. You have every right to be, after what you went through. But you don't need to be. I'm here for you, every step of the way. My parents are here for you; your dad is here for you. We'll help you through this. And, maybe you should tell Thalia, Grover, and Nico…"

"No," said Percy sharply, his hand tightening in mine.

"Why not?" I asked, frowning. "They're your friends, Percy. They'd want to know, they'd want to help you."

"They can't," he said quietly. "They can't know that I let Gabe use me as a- a punching bag-"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" I asked. "Looking weak?"

Percy looked away, seeming ashamed.

"You aren't weak, Percy," I said firmly. "You're one of the bravest people I know. Putting up with Gabe for all those years, saving my brother without a second thought- you're tremendously brave, do you understand me?"

Percy met my eyes nervously again. I was struck by how much he looked like a child, his eyes big and wide and scared. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his, then drawing back and resting my forehead on his. "Let's tell them," I said quietly.

After a slight hesitation, Percy nodded. "But not here," he said quickly. "Let's go to our spot on the beach. They're likely to blow up the restaurant if we tell them here."

I chuckled lightly. "You're right," I said. "We'll take them to the beach. Now come on," I said, once more taking his hand and dragging him toward the door. "Let's not keep them waiting," I said with a wink.

Percy smiled lightly as I opened the door and led him outside again. Thalia, Nico, and Grover were sitting at the table still, looking worried. They looked up when we came out and jumped up out of their seats.

"Percy?" asked Thalia anxiously. "Percy, please tell us what's wrong! Did I do something?"

Percy shook his head, that small smile still on his face. "No, it wasn't you," he said in a quiet voice.

"Then what was it?" asked Nico, frowning at Percy.

"Not here," I said, turning their attention to me. "We'll tell you, but it's best if we don't do it in public. Follow us."

The three glanced suspiciously at each other before following us out of the restaurant. The walk to the beach was spent in silence, everyone lost in their own thoughts. I maintained a firm grip on Percy's hand, rubbing my thumb against the back of it. I could tell he was trying hard not to lose his cool.

We ducked through the underbrush and came out onto the picturesque beach. I paused for a moment, remembering the last time I had been there, when Percy had told me his secret. I smiled humorlessly. Oh, how much things had changed.

Thalia, Grover, and Nico had a seat on the sand and looked expectantly at Percy and I. Percy started pacing back and forth in front of them, opening and closing his mouth multiple times.

"I can't do it," he said finally, turning to me. "Annabeth, you explain it."

I shot him a look, but stepped up in front of the small audience. Percy stood a few feet away, staring out at the ocean. Nico, Grover, and Thalia looked up at me, scared looks on their faces. I could tell that they weren't sure whether they really wanted to hear whatever was troubling us so much.

I remembered when I had learned the truth about Gabe:

_He sighed, resting his face on his fist. I looked sideways at him, then turned fully to face him. "Percy," I said, gently taking his face. He turned slowly to me, and I rubbed my thumb gently over his cheek. "Percy, what happened? Please, tell me the truth. I want to help you."_

He was quiet for a moment, watching the water. He didn't speak for so long I thought he wasn't going to answer me. Then, "My stepfather."

How was I going to tell them. I frowned at the ground, debating the possible ways.

"Look," I finally said. "You're not going to like this. At all. But I'm not going to beat around the bush." I paused, taking a deep breath. Beside me, Percy tensed. "Percy's stepfather abused him."

* * *

**A/N: Oooo, Cliffie!**

**I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving! (Well, those who celebrate it). I saw Breaking Dawn over the break; it was pretty good. I also saw Rise of the Guardians, which I thought was awesome! I'm totally on a Jack Frost obsession now. I'm such a weirdo… : )**

**Okay, awesome news: MY BIRTHDAY'S ON FRIDAY! HUZZAH! I'm not sure if I'm going to update before then, so I wanted to tell you. Yay! Cake!**

**I hope everyone liked this chapter. You got more Thalia, Nico, and Grover, and they learn about Gabe! I apologize for the horrible cliffhanger, but it had to be done. The next chapter will be very… loud…**

**Thanks so much for reading everyone, and please remember to review! **

**Until next time!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	21. Chapter 21

**Dedicated to: MysteryPerson (guest) Haha! You've been mentioned! Thanks for the great review : )**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Annabeth's POV

Utter silence except for the crashing of the waves against the shore.

No one moved. Percy stared out at the waves, unblinking; Thalia, Nico, and Grover were staring at me in disbelief and horror. I stood there, scared of their reactions.

"Please tell me you're joking," Thalia whispered in a deadly voice.

I shook my head slowly.

"How- how long?" stammered Grover, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Since he was eight," I said quietly. "When his mom died."

Nico spoke then, in a voice so full of anger it was a wonder he didn't explode. "That- fucking- bastard," he said through gritted teeth.

Thalia leapt up. "Where is he?" she demanded.

"Thalia-"

"I said, WHERE IS HE?" she shouted.

"Gone," I said quickly. "He skipped out of town when Percy's dad came back. He's looking for him, now."

"So he's a coward, too?" asked Nico, also getting to his feet.

"I swear, when I find him I am going to rip out his guts with my bare hands-" Thalia said, smashing her hand into her palm.

"How dare that-" seethed Nico.

"-and feed them to him-" Thalia went on.

"-ugly piece of shit-"

"-_and then burn him in a slow and painful death_!" Thalia finished loudly.

"-do that to Percy!" Nico yelled.

Grover turned to Percy. "Why didn't you tell us?" he demanded. The other two turned silent to glare at Percy, who refused to turn around and simply shrugged.

"We could have done something!" shouted Thalia. "But _no,_ you let this go on! You, making us all think that everything was okay, that you were perfectly happy at home, and all this time you've been freaking ABUSED!"

Percy whipped around to glare at her. Thalia faltered slightly. "I didn't tell you," Percy said quietly, "because I could handle it just fine."

"No you couldn't," said Nico sharply.

"That's why you were in the hospital," realized Grover. "It wasn't a gang fight. That- that- _monster _put you in there!" he said.

Thalia and Nico looked even more angered, if that was possible. "He gave you a CONCUSSION!" yelled Thalia.

"You told me you were attacked by a dog!" Nico said. "That was Gabe?" Percy nodded. "And the time you 'fell into a rose bush'?" Another nod. "And the time you broke your arm? What happened then?"

"He smashed it with a chair," muttered Percy.

Lightning bolts were practically shooting off of Thalia. "I'm going to find him," she said in a low voice. "I am going to find that son of a bitch and kill him. Someone get me a gun, or a knife, or slow-acting, painful poison! I'm going to murder him!"

"Calm down, Thalia," said Nico grimly. "You need to save a piece of him for me."

"And me," said Grover, eyes narrowing.

"None of you are going to kill him," said Percy sharply.

Thalia stalked over to him, kicking up sand, and grabbed his right wrist. Percy flinched horribly, but she just redoubled her resolve and held on more tightly when he tried to pull it away from her. "This," she said in a deathly voice, pointing to a white, jagged scar that ran along his upper arm. "You told me that you cut it on a jagged corner of cement walking home in seventh grade. I teased you about being clumsy the next day. I believed your story. But you were lying to me, weren't you? How did you _really _get it, Percy?"

Percy didn't answer.

"Percy Jackson, I swear to God if you don't answer me-"

"Gabe," Percy said darkly. "I got home later than he wanted. He pulled out a knife and… you know."

Thalia looked outraged, but she took a deep breath, released Percy, and stepped back before starting to scream. She shouted herself hoarse, hurling profanities and insults at Gabe Ugliano. She went for several minutes, and the others couldn't help but be impressed with how little she needed to breath. When she had finished, she stood there panting, her black hair flying dangerously. "I needed that," she muttered. "I'm better now."

"He stabbed you with a knife?" asked Grover, looking at Percy with horror.

Percy looked at them, and what they saw scared them. A look of deadened realization had overcome his usually bright eyes, turning them darker, like a storm at sea. "Yes," he said quietly. "He asked me to come home at a certain time. I didn't, even though I knew that was what he wanted. I deserved it."

* * *

Percy's POV

A shock went through me as Thalia started screaming. I recalled all the times that Gabe had punished me. When I had been late, when I had woken him up at night, when I had gotten the wrong type of beer. He had clearly asked me to do one thing, and I had done the other. For years I had blamed him, seeing no reason to hurt me. But, as I thought back on everything, I realized that it was _my _fault, not his. I deserved every punishment I had gotten.

A dead feeling went through me then. Gabe had been right. About everything. I really was worthless, a freak, a wimp. And I had deserved everything I had gotten. It was all my fault.

When Thalia was done yelling, Grover turned to me. I misinterpreted his horrified look as disgust, and that just strengthened what I had just realized. "He stabbed you with a knife?" he asked.

I looked at them from underneath my bangs. "Yes," I said. "He asked me to come home at a certain time. I didn't, even though I knew that was what he wanted. I deserved it."

They gaped at me. "Percy-" Annabeth said hoarsely, but I spun around and took off down the beach, ignoring her.

"PERCY!" they shouted after me, but I hardly heard them over the pounding of the blood in my ears. I ducked into the undergrowth, lying low in the bushes, hiding myself. I heard my friends run by, heard them shouting my name, but I didn't respond. I sat back against a tree and brought my knees to my chest, breathing deeply. All of my beatings, all of the things I had done to deserve them, came crashing over me. Gabe's voice filled my ear, loud and mocking.

_Nine year old Percy lay quivering on the floor, clutching his leg, which was bleeding profusely. Gabe stood over him, punching him repeatedly. _

_"What did I tell you," he wheezed, "about wakin' me up late at night?"_

_"I'm sorry!" cried Percy. "I didn't mean to! It was dark! I tripped over your beer cans!"_

_"You're lying!" Gabe shouted, giving him a kick to the stomach. Percy cried out in pain. "You wanted to wake me up, didn't you! You worthless little freak!"_

_Percy hunched over in a ball, sobbing and trying to detach himself from the pain he was in right then._

My fault, I thought. I must have known I was going to wake him up, and deliberately disobeyed him.

_Eleven year old Percy was standing in the dirty living room, a pack of beers lying at his feet. He was looking, horrified, as Gabe approached. _

_"What is this?" he spat, pointing to the beer cans._

_"T-they're beer, you asked me to-"_

_"I asked you to get my beer, not this cheap knock-off!" shouted Gabe, kicking Percy's knee. With a hiss of pain, his leg gave out and he fell to the floor._

_"I ask you to do one simple thing," hissed Gabe, smacking Percy across the face. "One thing, you hear? And what do you do?"_

_"I-"_

_"THE TOTAL OPPOSITE!" he shouted, hitting him around the head. Percy blinked, stars dancing across his vision. "You're an idiot," Gabe sneered, standing up and regarding Percy with disgust. "A weak, spineless idiot. I'm disgraced to have you legally part of my family."_

_And he left the boy laying there, tears streaking down his cheeks._

My fault, I thought dully. All my fault. Everything.

I stared unblinkingly at a spot in front of him, eyes dead, the words repeating in my head. I felt as if I was finally seeing clearly, and yet as though something had broken inside of me. I wasn't sure how long I had sat there, sinking into this new reality; it could have been an hour- it could have been days. All I knew was that I felt utterly empty and completely detached from the world.

I felt lost.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

"Where is he?" I asked frantically.

"For the hundredth time, Annabeth, we don't know or we wouldn't be looking!" snapped Thalia irritably. All four of them were worried and scared, and their tempers were all a bit short, especially Thalia's.

"What did he mean, 'I deserved it'?" asked Nico worriedly, going to peek into some bushes.

"I don't know," I said, frowning. "He never said anything like this before. What if… what if he thinks everything Gabe did to him was justified?"

"It's very common in abused kids," said Grover. "At a certain point the stress just gets too big to handle, and they think that they deserve everything that had happened to them. It's just easier to think that then to wonder why someone would enjoy hitting them. Actually, I'm very much surprised that it hasn't happened before this, after what he went through. It just got too much for him. Percy must have finally snapped."

"Okay, Dr. Phil," growled Thalia. "If you're quite done, I would like to continue looking for Percy."

"I was just trying to help," snapped Grover.

"You know what-"

"Guys?" asked Nico in such a quiet voice Grover and Thalia stopped fighting. "I… I found him."

The other three took a deep breath and crept over to where Nico still stood looking through some bushes. Thalia's breath caught in her throat. Percy was sitting against a tree like a statue, his eyes blank, staring straight ahead of him. Frankly, his position kind of scared me. He looked broken, empty. He didn't look like my boyfriend, the happy, dopey boy.

"Annabeth," Thalia said in a low voice. "You should go. We'll wait here. Just… go talk to him, okay?"

I nodded once, taking a deep breath before slipping through the branches to try to knock some sense into my boyfriend.

* * *

**A/N: Ooo, twist! Poor Percy : (. It is common in abused kids, though. Having his friends find out about it just got too much for Percy, like Grover the Smartypants was saying.**

**Thanks so much for everyone who has reviewed and favorite! This story now has over 40,000 views! Crazy, right? **

**I couldn't do it without all of you. Thanks you so, so much, and please continue to do what you're doing!**

**Thanks for reading everyone. Next chapter should be up very soon : )**

**And thank you for all the Happy Birthday wishes. I did have a great birthday, thank you!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	22. Chapter 22

**Dedicated to: my bff is a vampire freak. Er… lovely song. **

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Annabeth's POV

I crept through the bushes, ducking under the trees, until I reached Percy.

"Percy?" I asked doubtfully, stepping forward. Percy didn't move. "Percy," I said crouching down next to him. "Are you alright?"

Percy blinked and looked up at me as if he had just noticed I was there. "I'm fine," he said in a monotone voice. His eyes looked deadened, unhappy.

"No, you're not," I said, sitting down with a crunch of leaves. "Percy, what did you mean back there, 'I deserved it'? Why did you say that?"

Percy took a shaky breath, seeming to gather his courage. "I deserved it, Annabeth," he said in a quiet voice. "Everything Gabe did to me. I disobeyed him, I didn't do what he said. I'm a worthless wimp. I'm a freak. I'm an ungrateful little-"

"Percy!" I said sharply. Percy flinched away from my tone. "Percy," I said in a gentler tone. "You did not deserve it! No one deserves that! Gabe's a monster, you can't listen to anything he said, especially those things you were saying about yourself!"

"Don't you see, Annabeth?" he said, in the same voice he had been using. "He was right! About everything! Every single thing he said about me, everything he did to me, was well deserved. It was all my fault."

"No it wasn't!" I said insistently. "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't! What can I say to get you to believe me?"

"Why do you even care?" Percy asked dully.

"Are we going back to this again?" I asked testily. "I care about you, you idiot!"

Percy looked away as I realized what I had said.

"No- no, I didn't mean that," I said quickly. "Percy, please listen to me! It wasn't your fault!" I reached forward, bringing a hand to his cheek, stroking it with my thumb. "Please, please listen."

Percy shrugged away from my hand. I felt a stab of hurt shoot through me, but dismissed it and focused on the task at hand.

I had no idea what to do. Everything I said was just bouncing off of him. What could I do, what could I say, to get him to believe me? It was ridiculous. I was completely lost.

"You didn't deserve it," I repeated desperately, as if saying it over and over again would make him believe me.

Percy just shook his head, not meeting my eyes.

"Percy," I whispered. "You're an amazing person. You're kind, brave, sweet, funny, and what Gabe did to you wasn't justified in any way whatsoever. He hurt someone that didn't deserve to be hurt. He hurt you, and it was incredibly wrong. No one deserved that, especially not you. Not at all. Gabe is a very sick man, he's a monster, Percy. You have to believe me, please, just listen!"

"I wish I could." Percy looked up at me. "Let's go back to your house," he said quietly. "I'm tired."

"But-"

He stood up, shaking off the dead leaves clinging to his jeans, and strode out of the bushes and back onto the beach without another word. I hesitated before slowly standing up and following him out onto the sand.

"Percy?" asked Thalia as soon as she saw him. She, Grover and Nico were scrambling up from where they had been sitting on the sand, waiting. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said sharply. "Leave me alone."

"You're not fine," said Nico. "What's wrong?"

"There is nothing wrong!" snapped Percy. "I'm super, thanks for asking. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted, and we have school tomorrow. Let's _go._"

"No!" said Thalia. "There is obviously something wrong!"

"Well of course there's something wrong!" yelled Percy. "Everything is wrong! And there's nothing you can do about it, so just leave me alone!"

"We can't just leave you alone," said Grover.

"Oh? And why not?" sneered Percy.

"Because we're your friends!" shouted Thalia. "Because we care what happens to you!"

"I don't need you to care!" Percy shouted back.

"Oh, really? Because you're not handling this on your own too well," said Thalia, glaring at him.

"I'm handling it fine!" Percy said.

"Guys-" started Grover.

"You call this fine?" hollered Thalia. "You're handling it horribly!"

"I don't need to take this," said Percy.

"Then GO!" Thalia yelled. "If you think you can handle all of this on your own, go! See if I care, because I don't!"

Percy opened his mouth to yell back, then froze. He took a clumsy step back, and for a moment, he looked close to tears. "Fine," he said. "Fine. This is the last you'll be seeing of me."

Then he spun around and ran off.

"PERCY!" I shouted, but he had already gone.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" shouted Nico, shoving Thalia.

"I- I didn't mean it!" Thalia said, her eyes wide. What she had just done seem to have struck her just then, and her eyes widened, horrified. "I- I was just so mad-"

"He's run away because of you!" Nico yelled, advancing on her.

"I didn't see any of you helping!" Thalia hollered back, tears pricking in her eyes. "You know how I get when I'm mad, I say things I don't mean! Why didn't you stop me?"

"Oh, so it's MY fault now!" growled Nico.

"No, it's not, it's my fault!" Thalia yelled. "It's all my fault, but we can deal with that later! Right now, we need to find Percy!"

"It's no use," I said quietly, sinking to my knees.

"What- what do you mean, Annabeth?" asked Thalia.

"We can't find him," said Grover, realizing what I had been thinking. "He's been gone for a good five minutes now, he could be anywhere. Running blindly into the city won't solve anything."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked Nico, glaring at Thalia once more.

"We need to call the only person who has any hope of finding him," I said, looking up at them. "We need to call his dad."

* * *

Percy's POV

I sprinted into the city, my feet pounding on the pavement. Tears sprang up in my eyes and I didn't bother wiping them away.

I knew it. I knew they didn't actually care. Not that I could blame them, I mean, who would care about me? I'm just a good-for-nothing ungrateful little freak, just like Gabe always said.

_I may as well go back to living with him, _I thought glumly. Although I knew that I deserved what he did to me, I felt a shiver run through me without my control. Live with Gabe again… that would probably be my worst nightmare.

"Hey, kid, watch where you're going!" shouted an old man as I plowed past him.

"Sorry," I grunted, but I didn't stop.

I wondered dimly whether the others would be searching for me. _No, _I thought. They're probably glad to be rid of me.

After turning a few more corners and knocking over a few more people, I finally slowed down. It had just dawned on me how much trouble I was in. I had no idea where I was, no money, nowhere to stay, an no one that cared about me. What on earth was I supposed to do? I couldn't go back to Annabeth's- that was out of the question. And there was the possibility that her parents may search for me out of guilt. I couldn't let anyone find me. I was done intruding on their lives.

Maybe I could just live in the streets. Or become a thief. I could get money that way, right? Although, I didn't think I could do it. It just wasn't… me.

To buy some time I walked into a Starbucks. The smell of coffee overwhelmed me, and I blinked a few times to adjust to the dim light. All of the tables were full except for one in the corner, which I made my way over to. I dropped into the chair, putting my head in my hands. _What was I going to do?_

"This seat taken?" asked a voice.

I glanced up to see a man standing there. He was tall, with sandy blond hair and brown eyes. A jagged scar ran across his jaw, marring his otherwise perfect features.

"No," I said, gesturing to the empty seat at my table.

The man sat down, placing his coffee cup on the table. I put my head back in my hands, trying to think and sort out what I was going to do.

After a while, I realized that I was being stared at. I peeked up to see the guy staring at me.

"You look troubled," he said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No…"

"Dominic Brown," the man said, holding out his hand.

"Percy Jackson," I said, shaking it. "No, Mr. Brown, I don't believe there is anything you could do."

"Can I buy you a drink?" Dominic offered.

"Thank you, but no," I assured him, smiling a bit. "I'm okay."

Dominic nodded, opening his newspaper and starting to read. I leaned my head on my fist, staring at the table.

There was the possibility of contacting my father… but no, he wouldn't want me either. Going to Annabeth's was a negative, as was returning to Gabe's old place. Perhaps I could get a job somewhere, earn enough money to get a bus out of here, and start a new life in a new city. Yes, that's about all could do, unless I want to risk getting caught.

"Are you sure I can't get you a coffee or something?" asked Dominic again. I realized I had just been sitting there staring at the table.

"No," I said, standing up. "I really should get going. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Brown."

"You too, Percy," said Dominic, smiling one last time before going back to his paper.

I stepped out of the store and into the brisk air outside. Shoving my hands deep in my pockets, I put my head down and walked against the wind.

"Hey, kid."

I looked up to see a man leaning against a black car, smoking. He was a large man with a thick mustache and a ruddy complexion. He took a long drag on his cigarette, still staring at me.

"Yes?" I asked cautiously.

"You need a lift somewhere?" he asked, pushing himself up off the car.

"No, I'm alright," I said, taking a step backward.

The man smiled nastily, exposing yellowing teeth.

"I insist," he growled, stepping forward and grabbing my arm.

I immediately spun around trying to escape, but the man's grip was like iron. He twisted my arm behind my back, and I gasped in pain.

"That's it," the man sneered. "Time to go night-night."

He pressed a red cloth over my mouth, smothering me. I struggled for air, but a horrible smell filled my nose. Black spots danced across my vision, and I went limp in his arms, fighting to stay conscious.

The man chuckled, opening a car door and tossing me in. "I got him, Gabe."

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh.**

**Percy just got into a load of trouble. **

**Sorry if this chapter is a little shorter than I usually write : ( That's just the way it worked out.**

**Random fun fact: I really like these lines.**

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews! They mean a lot to me, every one of them, and I hope you all continue to leave them!**

**I started on a new story, Lost in Your Eyes. It's Harry Potter, so if you're interested, please check it out!**

**Well, that's really all I have to say now. Thanks so much for reading, the next chapter will be up very soon!**

**Au Revoir!**

**Wait, I'm not French…**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Annabeth's POV

"It's here somewhere…" I muttered, rifling through my papers.

"This is taking forever!" snapped Thalia from her perch on my bed.

"We wouldn't be looking if you hadn't chased Percy off," muttered Nico. Thalia ignored him.

"Well if you guys would _help._"

"How would we know what it looks like?" asked Thalia.

They were currently searching for a small piece of paper that had Poseidon's number on it. I could kill myself right about now. I can't believe I lost it! I normally never lose anything! And just the time I need it most, too.

"Annabeth!"

I realized that Thalia had been trying to get my attention. I smiled sheepishly, setting down the papers I had been shuffling through. "Yeah?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "You're phone's ringing," she said, handing it over.

I let out an annoyed sound. Now was not the time to be answering questions about homework. Reluctantly, I grabbed the phone and flipped it open, pressing it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, going back to my search with one hand.

"Annabeth. It's Percy's father, Poseidon."

I immediately stopped my searching, grabbing the phone with both hands. "What's wrong?" I asked hurriedly.

"Is Percy with you?" asked the voice on the other end of the phone.

"No," I admitted. "He ran off a while ago."

Poseidon was silent for a moment. "Alright," he finally said. "Can I come over to speak with you? I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, of course," I said, frowning. "What is it?"

"It's best I tell you in person," Poseidon said. "I'll be over in, say, fifteen minutes?"

"Okay," I said. "See you soon."

I pressed the end button, shutting my phone and setting it down.

"Well?" asked Thalia, looking at me impatiently. "Who was it?"

"Percy's dad," I said.

"Excellent!" said Thalia brightly. "Now we don't have to look for that stupid paper anymore! Did he find Percy?"

"I don't think so," I said heavily. "At least, he didn't say so, and I think he would have if that were the case. He's going to be over in fifteen minutes to talk with me."

"What did you do?" asked Nico curiously.

"I didn't do anything!" I snapped at him. "It's probably about Percy. You know, the fact that he's _missing._"

"He's not missing," said Thalia. I had a feeling she was just saying that in an attempt to make her feel less guilty. Her words had a sort of desperate edge to them. "He's probably just… I don't know… getting a coffee or something."

"Getting a coffee?" asked Nico incredulously.

"He likes coffee!"

"You're an idiot."

"Twit."

"Brat."

"G-"

"Can we stay?" asked Grover, cutting across the bickering cousins.

"I don't care," I said distractedly, sitting down on the bed. "I guess you'll have to ask Poseidon when he gets here. I'm not sure what it is he wants to talk to me about."

I felt horrible. Percy had run away, into the city. He's alone, he thinks that no one cares about him, and somehow he thinks that he deserves everything that Gabe did to him. And he doesn't have any money or a cellphone or a way to get home and no one knows where he is and-

I'm rambling again. Fantastic.

"He'll be here in about five minutes," Grover said suddenly. Nico and Thalia stopped, looking up from the argument they had been engaged in for the past ten minutes or so.

"Already?"

"You guys fight way too much," I muttered, walking past them.

"We don't fight!" they shouted together.

Grover and I exchanged a look.

Grover, Thalia, and Nico lounged in the living room while I paced in front of them. Up, down; up, down; the pacing somewhat helped relax me, strangely enough. Even so, my heart was pumping too hard for me to just sit down and wait. Somehow, I knew that whatever Poseidon was going to tell me, it would be bad. Otherwise he would have told me over the phone. He didn't sound extremely upset though, so Percy would have to be still alive, wouldn't he? But if they had found him, why make the journey all the way over to my house just to tell me that? It was all so confusing. I guess I won't know exactly what Poseidon wants until he actually gets here.

_Ring._

"He's here," I said, leaping out the door and sprinting down the hall to the front door. I took a few seconds to calm myself down before opening the door. "Mr. Jackson," I said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again."

"Annabeth," the man said with a nod and a small smile. He looked tired; there were dark bags under his eyes, and his hair looked a little unkempt.

I switched my gaze to the side. Another man was standing there next to him. A very tall man, with neat blond hair. A scar ran across his jaw, but he looked very kind all the same.

"Come in," I said, stepping aside and holding the door open. The two men walked in, and I shut the door behind me. "Over here," I said, leading the way into the living room where my friends still sat.

"Mr. Jackson, these are my friends, Thalia, Nico, and Grover. They know about Percy, and want to do what they can to help."

Poseidon eyed them, looking them over. He seemed to deem them trustworthy, and nodded. "This is my partner, Dominic Brown," he said, gesturing to the man next to him. "He has some information for us."

We all took our seats, each party sitting across from the other on the two sofas.

"Now," said Poseidon. "What happened with Percy?"

"He ran off," I said, seeing Thalia look a bit awkward. "After he told these three about Gabe. He… he was acting strange. Going on about it was all his fault, that he deserved everything that Gabe had done to him. Then he just… ran off." I purposefully left out the part about Thalia, and I could tell she was grateful. I don't think Poseidon would take very kindly to that.

"He said he deserved it?" said Poseidon with a sharp frown.

"We don't know what brought it around," I said. "It was weird."

"This is worse than I thought," muttered Poseidon, rubbing a tired hand over his face.

"Um… what's worse than you thought?" I asked, when Poseidon gave no sign to indicate that he was going to proceed.

"Dominic works with me," he said, glancing at the man seated to his left. "He's one of my closest friends, actually. He was taking a lunch break earlier today. He went into a Starbucks around one, and guess who he ran into?"

"Percy," I said, the name catching in my throat.

"Percy," Poseidon nodded. "He recognized him immediately- I've shown him pictures- and thought it strange that he would be there alone. He sat down at his table to see what was going on."

"He was acting very odd," Dominic said, taking up the story. "Looked troubled. I asked him if I could get him anything, and he politely declined. Introduced himself- polite kid you have there, Poseidon- but kept to himself for most of the time. Soon, he got up, excused himself, and walked out.

"I was pretty sure that Poseidon didn't know he was there, so I set down my coffee, grabbed my phone, and dialed his number. I was just looking back up, holding the phone to my ear, when I caught sight of Percy from out the window. I dropped the phone and sprinted out, but by the time I got there… well, they were gone. I couldn't catch them."

"What happened?" asked Thalia. I was glad she did, because I didn't think that I would be able to speak even if I tried.

"He was kidnapped," said Dominic heavily. "A man, aged about thirty-seven, with dark hair and a mustache. He subdued Percy, knocked him out with a kind of drug, and shoved him in a car. Then they took off."

I let out a small noise in the back of my throat, too shocked to speak. Thalia extracted her arm, putting it around me for support.

"I got the license plate number," said Dominic. "But it's no good. Stolen. We can't track them using that."

"Well we have to find him!" Nico said.

"We will," assured Poseidon. "It just… it might take some time."

"_Some time?_" Thalia asked incredulously.

"The men who took him obviously did not want to be found," said Poseidon with a slight edge to his voice. "They're going to be extremely difficult to find. But rest assured, I will find them. I'll save Percy, then make those bastards pay for touching my son."

I let out a groan, dropping my head into my hands. This was too much! We finally get Percy away from Gabe, and just when things start to be looking up, _this _happens. I can't _believe _it! I felt immense worry start to bubble up in my stomach. What if we can't find him…?

_Don't think that way, _I snapped to myself. We'll find him.

We had to.

"He'll be alright, won't he?" asked Grover nervously from my side.

A muscle jumped in Poseidon's jaw. I caught the look in his eye; the same as mine must look. Worry, desperation, and an underlying sense of determination. We had the same goal, and we weren't going to give up until we found Percy.

"We can only hope," Poseidon said. "Now, we thought it best that you know about this. I have to warn you; by no means do I want you to attempt to go after these men. We will take care of it, and we will keep you updated. But I do _not _want you trying to find them. Understood?"

"Under one condition," Thalia spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her. "We know first," she said. "As soon as something happens, you call us. No waiting. We want to know exactly what's going on, when it's going on. Understood?"

Poseidon gave her a small smile, semi-amused. "Understood," he agreed. "We'll tell you everything."

"Then can we have the license plate number?" Thalia asked, giving him an innocent look.

The smile dropped off Poseidon's face. "No," he said flatly.

"You _said _that you would tell us everything," Nico said, glaring at him. "We aren't going to do anything. Can we just have the license plate number?"

Poseidon still looked ready to protest, but Dominic slid a piece of paper over to them. "There," he said. "That's the number. Now, do you remember our deal?"

"Of course," said Thalia, snatching the number off the coffee table and pocketing it.

"Please, find Percy," I said in a small voice.

Poseidon looked me in the eye, and an understanding passed between us. He gave me a reassuring smile. "We will," he said firmly. "You can count on it."

The two men stood up. "We'll keep you updated," Poseidon said.

"And we'll keep _you _updated," Thalia said brightly.

I showed the two men to the door and they departed, back into the late afternoon light. I returned to the living room, collapsing back onto the couch with a groan.

"He'll be alright, Annabeth," said Grover, patting my arm and offering me a little smile.

"But what if he isn't?" I moaned, covering my head with my arms. "They could hurt him! They could kill him! They could do anything they want to him, and there isn't a single thing we can do about it!"

"Maybe there is something that we can do," said Thalia.

I peeked out from my arms to see a grin sliding across Thalia's face. A mischievous sort of glint appeared in her eye as she exchanged a glance with Nico, who looked equally excited and determined.

"What?" I asked cautiously, slightly worried for their sanity.

"She said, there is something we can do to help," said Nico.

Thalia held up the sheet of paper with the license plate number. "We're going to find Percy," she said with a wide grin.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, sooorry for the little wait. I got super caught up with preparing for Christmas, and I had a bit of a writer's block. I sorry!**

**If any of you have watched the Rise of the Guardians, I posted a new story for that category. It's another abuse/bully story, so you like this, I'm sure you'll like my other one too. It actually has more followers than this story after just two chapters. So wierd! Please read!**

**My cat is currently stepping on my face.**

**Get ****_off, _****cat!**

**I hope everyone's life has been going great, as mine has too. Except for homework. Lots of homework. Not fun.**

**Okay, so I'm rambling now. Like Annabeth! Haha. Kay, I'll stop now.**

**I'm sure everyone is worried about Percy, so right now I'm planning for the next chapter to be about him. It should be up soon!**

**Thanks for reading everyone, and don't forget to review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, I realize that I haven't been dedicated these last few chapters. Truthfully, I forgot. Oops. I'll try to do it from now on…**

**Dedicated to: emmalunajackson. Did I already dedicate one to you? Oh well. Your reviews are just awesome, and really made my day!**

**Now now, I know you're all anxious for Percy. This chapter is not some of my best work, but you'll be able to see what's happening to him. Yay! And you'll have a bit of Annabeth in there too.**

**Okay, now I admit to just stalling. Mwahaha, I'm an evil girl. Anyways, on to the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Percy's POV

I groggily opened my eyes, then winced. My head hurt like crazy, and I couldn't move my arms.

Wait, couldn't move my arms?

I twisted around to find my arms tied behind my back. I was strapped into a wooden chair, which was extremely uncomfortable. With the little light I had to see by, I could make out that I was in a small room, some sort of closet or pantry. What the heck was I doing here? I couldn't really remember much, just something vaguely about being at the beach, then Thalia shouting at me, then going into the city… I had gone into a Starbucks, then-

My eyes widened, and I felt panicked. Some guy had forced me into a car. I didn't know who, but if I was tied up in a closet, it wasn't a friend.

I moaned. I was such an idiot! Why did I have to run away? I wouldn't be in this mess otherwise!

_Stop it, _I snapped. Now was not the time for this. Right now, I had to focus on getting out of here.

I tried as hard as I could to slide out of the ropes around my wrist, but the only thing I succeeded in was rubbing my wrists raw. As soon as I felt warm blood start to run down my hands, I stopped, realizing that I wouldn't be untying these ropes anytime soon.

It was the same with my feet. I couldn't stand up or get any leverage on the ground on the angle they were tied. I was completely and totally trapped.

I groaned, letting my head fall forward. What a mess I was in. Why did everything always happen to me? My life just sucked.

Just as that started to sink in, a door I hadn't previously noticed opened in front of me. I turned my head away from the bright light that suddenly flooded in, not looking at who had walked in until the door was shut again and my eyes didn't burn.

"Hey, punk."

A greasy, oily voice. Deep and threatening, and carrying anger. Lots and lots of anger. I knew without even seeing his face who this was, and I started panicking.

I felt my heart leap to my throat, and I suddenly had trouble breathing.

_Not him, _I thought desperately. _Anyone but him. Please!_

Slowly, I turned to look at my captor, feeling my pulse throbbing. Gabe looked exactly the same as he always did, standing over by the door and looking at me. Fat and ugly, with only a little bit of hair on top of his greasy bald head. He was glaring at me with pure hatred; if looks could kill, I would be dead right now.

"W-what do you w-want?" I asked, feeling all of my courage desert me just at the mere sight of him.

Gabe stomped over to me, his glare never leaving my face. He bent down until his nose was nearly touching mine and I had to try not to gag from his rancid breath. I bit the inside of my cheek to try and stay calm.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled.

I didn't say anything, confused. He was always blaming me for things; I never knew what he was talking about. Something metallic flowed onto my tongue, and I realized that I had been biting my cheek so hard it had split open. I quickly unclamped my teeth, not wanting to cause myself any more injuries than I was already going to get.

"I had to leave my house cause of you," he continued, poking me sharply in the chest with a dirty, pudgy finger. "You just _had _to go to the hospital and tell everyone about your beatings, didn't you?"

"I- I didn't tell," I said desperately.

Gabe pulled his arm back and slapped me across the cheek. I let out a small gasp as my cheek stung with pain. "Liar," he hissed. "Filthy, stinkin' liar." He emphasized that with another slap across my other cheek. I felt tears prick at my eyes but refused to let them fall, refused to show any weakness. Instead, I glared at him with as much strength as I could muster.

"I'm not lying!" I defended, hoping I sounded braver then I felt.

If it was possible, Gabe's glare increased with heat and hatred. He brought his knee into my gut, and I doubled over as much as I could, all of the air knocked out of me.

"I had enough of you," Gabe said. "You ain't ever getting out of here, punk. Outta sight, outta mind, I always say. You can't cause any more trouble like this, and that's the way I like you."

"You won't get away with it," I wheezed. "People will look for me-"

"Who?" countered Gabe. "Who would care about a worthless little twit like you?"

I opened my mouth to reply smartly, then paused. Who _would _look for me? Thalia made it pretty clear that she, Grover, and Nico didn't care. Poseidon had lived without me for the better part of sixteen years; he wouldn't miss me too much. Annabeth's family will probably just be glad to get rid of me. I was just an extra mouth to feed.

And Annabeth… Annabeth doesn't care either. At least, not in the long run. Maybe she'll miss me a bit for the first few days, but she'll get over me. She'll find a better boyfriend, someone that she deserves. Not me. It's never been me, and it never would be.

"That's what I thought," said Gabe with a snicker. He aimed a punch at my face, bruising my already stinging cheek and jaw. He backed up, chuckling lightly as I hunched over, not meeting his eyes. "Make yourself comfortable, punk. You're gonna be here a long time." He turned around and walked back to the door, slamming it shut behind him.

I was left behind in the dark, chest heaving. My cheeks still stung, I could virtually feel my stomach bruising, and my jaw was pounding. But what hurt most of all was my heart.

_It's best I'm here, _I thought dully. _Out of sight, out of mind. _

I won't be a burden to anyone anymore.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

"Yeah- yeah, okay. Thanks, Mindy."

Thalia hung up her cell phone and plopped back on the couch with a huff. We all looked at her expectantly, but she didn't say anything. Finally, I broke the awkward silence hanging over us.

"Well?" I asked.

Thalia sighed, tipping her head back and shutting her electric blue eyes. "Well, she found out who it was. Unfortunately, Poseidon had already talked to her and warned her."

Everyone let out a groan and fell back onto the couch in different states of disappointment.

Thalia's cousin Mindy worked for the Police Department. They had called her in the hopes of finding out who owned the license plate, but it appeared that Poseidon had already spoken to her and, after finding out the owner of the license plate, had ordered her not to tell anyone else.

"There has to be _something _we can do," said Nico earnestly.

Grover sighed. "There really isn't," he said. "That license plate number was our only lead, and the only way we could track it was through Mindy. And now, we can't do that. We'll just have to wait for Poseidon to find Percy."

"But what if he doesn't?" asked Thalia.

"Thalia!" snapped Nico and Grover.

I put my head in my hands, feeling even worse than before. It was so hard without Percy here. I had only really known him for a few weeks, but in that time he had become one of the most important people in the world to me, and thinking of him with Gabe... frankly, it scared me. And I definitely didn't like that.

"Oops," said Thalia, wincing. "Sorry, Annabeth. But Nico's right. Isn't there other ways to track license plates? Like, a website, or-"

"It's illegal," I said in a muffled voice, too tired to lift my head up enough to talk coherently.

"Oh," said Thalia, slightly put-out. "Well, we can… I mean, we just have to…"

"Wait," I finished, sitting back up. "There's nothing we can do but wait," I said dully. "Poseidon'll find him eventually, I guess."

The other three glanced at each other, obviously concerned about me.

"Cheer up, Annabeth," Thalia said, coming over to sit next to me on the couch. She put an arm around my shoulders, smiling brightly. "We'll find him. He can't hide from us forever! And you know what we're going to do when we do find him?"

"What?" I asked wearily.

"Give him a piece of our mind for running away and getting himself kidnapped," Thalia teased, trying to keep the mood light. I gave her a small smile, which seemed to make her happier.

"Right," she said. "Well, since apparently it's _illegal _to continue looking for the license plate, we're going to have to-"

She was interrupted by my cell phone ringing. It's sharp sound cut through everything else, silencing us. I immediately dove at where it was lying on the couch cushion and fumbled with it for a second before flipping it open and holding it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, my heart pounding. I was hoping against hope that it was Poseidon, calling with good news. That they'd found Percy, or know where he is, or think they know of someone who knows where he is- anything!

"Annabeth?" asked a voice on the other end. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Whoever it was, one thing was certain: It wasn't Poseidon.

I deflated, feeling disappointment set in. I had been so hoping that this call would end the nightmare that currently was my life. "Yes?" I asked in a less excited voice. "Who is this?"

"Dominic Brown."

My mood shot up, and I clutched at the phone frantically as if someone was going to try to take it away from me. "What is it?" I asked urgently, feeling sudden fright well up in me. Why was Dominic calling and not Poseidon? "Did you find anything? Did you find Percy?"

"No," Dominic said heavily, an edge of exhaustion to his words. "We didn't find Percy. But, we did manage to track down the license plate number, and the person whom the car was stolen from."

"You did?" I asked, trying to calm down my frantically beating heart. "Whose was it?"

"A man named Jerome Wilkins. He lives near Central Park," Dominic said. "The car was stolen from him about a week ago in a parking structure."

"Oh," I said, frowning. "But this won't help us find Percy, will it?"

"Yes, it will," said Dominic. "Mr. Wilkins actually witnessed the theft. He tried to run and stop it, but was nearly run over by the thief trying to escape. He managed, however, to get a description of the thief who took it."

"Oh my gods," I muttered, feeling my breath speed up yet again. "Who is it?"

"Male," said Dominic. "About 5'11, very large, thick black mustache, brown eyes. We have a drawing of what he would look like. I'll send it to you over e-mail. He goes by the name Cecil Mahoney."

"Thanks," I said, extremely grateful that I was getting this information. Then, I paused, remembering my earlier thought. "Wait," I said. "Why isn't Poseidon telling me this?"

"We made a deal," Dominic said carefully. "We promised to keep you updated on everything. Unfortunately, Poseidon did not wish to honor that deal. He believed it to be too dangerous and didn't want you guys getting caught up in it. I, however, disagree. How old are you, Annabeth?"

"I'll be seventeen next month," I said.

"I went into this business at eighteen," Dominic said, "and I've been in much more dangerous situations. If there is any way you can help at all, I want you to be able to do so, and that means telling you everything that we know. Besides, the best way to keep you safe is to keep you updated. It's much more dangerous when you're ignorant of what's going on around you. And, I know that you're extremely worried about Percy."

"We are," I admitted. Gratitude overcame me, and I felt a burst of affection towards Dominic "Thank you so much Mr. Brown."

"Call me Dominic," Dominic said. "Oh, and Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's keep this between us," Dominic said. "No need to mention it to Poseidon. He might react a little… well, let's just keep it between us."

I grinned. "Alright, Mr. B- Dominic. I won't say a thing. And I can't thank you enough."

"Don't mention it," he said. "I'll e-mail you the picture in a few minutes."

"Thanks."

There was a click at the other end of the line as Dominic hung up. I set down the phone on the coffee table and turned to the others with a huge smile.

"We have a lead!" I said. I quickly explained what Dominic had said. By the time I was finished, Thalia was grinning widely.

"Yes!" she said, fist-pumping the air. "I _like _this guy! He totally gets where we're coming from. Sounds like something I would do."

"It does," agreed Nico, nodding solemnly. "Totally reckless? Check. Irresponsible? Check."

"Aw, come on," said Thalia, rolling her eyes. "It's good that we know what the guy looks like. That way if we see him we'll know that it's okay to punch him in the face."

My laptop dinged from the kitchen, signaling a new e-mail. I hurried over to it, closely followed by the others, and opened it. Clicking on my e-mail, I scrolled through my inbox, clicking on the newly arrived one from Dominic Brown. There was nothing in it except an attachment, which I quickly selected. A window opened up with a drawing of a very angry looking man. It was such a good drawing, it looked like a photograph and not a sketch.

"Ew," said Thalia, peering over my shoulder at the bright computer screen and wrinkling her nose. "Not the looker, is he?"

I laughed, feeling better than I had all day. Here was our chance, our shot at finding Percy. I didn't care what I had to do, I didn't care how long it took- I was going to find my boyfriend, and I was going to bring him back to me. Nothing was going to stop me- _especially _not Cecil Mahoney or Gabe Ugliano.

"No," I said with an un-ladylike snort. "He isn't. And he's going to look even worse after I get a hold of him."

* * *

**A/N: Ugh. Several things.**

**I am sorry for the wait, I had total writer's block for this chapter. Then, when I finally wrote it, I was disappointed. Not my best work. At all. This chapter was not my best, and for that I apologize.**

**I've been busy lately. Schoolwork is getting hectic, I'm getting sick, and my great-uncle just died, so finding the time for writing is pretty hard. Luckily, winter break is approaching, and I'll have two weeks of no school! Yay! That means more updates for you!**

**Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, and it'll hopefully be better than this one!**

**Thanks for reading, everyone, and please continue reviewing! It means a lot to me : )**

**Oh, and I started ANOTHER Rise of the Guardians fanfiction. Hehe, I'm just a bit addicted.**

**Okay, I'm really addicted.**

**Thanks, everyone! And thanks for reading this long authors' note!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Percy's POV

Well, this sucked.

I rocked back on the back legs of my chair, trying to make some noise.

"I'm hungry!" I shouted.

As usual, there was no response.

No one had come in since Gabe, and that had been hours ago. Of course, I couldn't be sure on the time. It could have been _days _for all I know. I was locked in my own little world of darkness and loneliness, with no way to tell how the time was passing in the outside world.

I hadn't slept. Honestly, I was scared to. If I fell asleep, who knew if I would wake up again? But I knew that I would have to eventually. Already, I could feel exhaustion starting to creep over me, tugging at my eyelids. I probably would have already have fallen asleep if not for the hunger eating away at my stomach. It was large and raw, stewing in my midsection, and sent jolts of pain through me every time I moved. I had never known what it was like to be really hungry until now, and I can tell you one thing: It _sucked._

I tried again to twist at my ropes, but it was still useless. My wrists throbbed from where the ropes had cut into them, leaving them raw and bloody. My cheeks had stopped stinging a long time ago, but anything brushing against them brought about a low throb, so I suspected they had bruised over.

I threw my head back and shut my eyes, letting my hair flop back. I thought dimly of how long it's been lately. It hung in my eyes if I leaned forward. I vaguely recalled Mrs. Chase commenting on how I needed a haircut, a million years ago.

Mrs. Chase.

_Annabeth._

I tried to keep my thoughts from straying to her too often, but it was impossible. I wondered what she was doing right now. Is she worried about me? Is she wondering where I am?

_Of course not, _I chastised myself.

But there was a part of me that hoped she was. If even for a little bit. And my father… what was he doing now? Setting up a search party for me? Posting Missing Persons ads in the paper? None of it would work. Gabe has me stuck here for a long time.

I heard the creak as the door opened. I lifted my head and squinted as the door was shut very quietly, and a figure crept down the stairs.

Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't this. A short, middle-aged woman crept down the stairs. She had thinning brown hair tied up in a loose bun. She was as thin as a stick, with cheekbones that stuck out prominently through her pale skin. Her eyes had bags under them, and there was a bruise across her forehead. Her eyes darted to me, nervous and skittish.

"I'm here to feed you," she said in a small voice.

I swallowed. "Who are you?"

The woman set down a tray that I had just noticed she was carrying. She turned away from me, busying herself with whatever was on it.

"Here," she said, coming up with a roll of bread. She held it to my mouth, expecting me to open. I felt a flare of anger and kept my mouth shut. I wasn't about to be _fed_. I wasn't a _child_. I wasn't going to depend on someone else to feed me when I got hungry.

"Please eat," the woman pleaded, sadness filling her eyes. "It's all you're going to get, and I don't want you to starve."

"Why do you care?" I shot at her.

Her eyes began to fill with tears, and I felt a stab of guilt shoot through me. _Why should I feel sorry? She's working with Gabe. _But the woman looked so sad and defeated… like me. She looked like someone who had been conquered and beaten.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman didn't seem to want to tell me. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking at me nervously.

"Please?" I prompted.

The woman sighed. "My name is Stacey Mahoney," she said in a small voice. "My husband Cecil is the one who kidnapped you. He was friends with Gabe in college, before they got kicked out. You're in my pantry right now, in the basement. I was sent to feed you."

"Your… pantry?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing. So much for guilt. This lady was a kidnapper.

"I don't want this," Stacey insisted, eyes wide. "I don't approve of this at all. You're just a child, you shouldn't be… no, it's wrong. I tried to tell them, to convince them to let you go, but…" she trailed off, gulping.

"They hit you," I realized.

Stacey winced, peering at me through loose strands of hair. "He wasn't like this when I married him," she whispered. "He's… he's different. He's a criminal now. I wish I could leave, but he won't let me. I belong to him."

"You belong to no one!" I said forcefully. "You're your own person! If you think this is wrong, stop it! Tell the police!"

Stacey shook her head and held out the roll. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I can't. Please, eat."

I bit my bottom lip, refusing to open my mouth. I didn't want to succumb to this humiliation- I wouldn't.

My stomach let out a sudden, stabbing pain, and I gasped softly, my mouth opening just a bit. Stacey took the opportunity to push the roll into my mouth, shoving it in. With a muffled cry of surprise I bit down on it, chewing it twice before swallowing it painfully.

"You need to eat," Stacey said, leaning back down to the tray. "This will all be worse if you don't eat."

"I don't see how this can get much worse," I said, stubbornly turning my head away from the water glass she was trying to offer me.

"Oh, please!" she said, her brown eyes filling with tears. "I don't have much time down here! If I stay too long, Gabe will come down, and-" she stopped, breathing heavily.

Slowly, I turned my head back to her, opening my mouth. Gratefully, she pressed the glass to my dry lips, tilting it slowly so I could gulp down the water.

She fed me two more rolls, and I didn't say another word. I just opened and closed my mouth like a child, eating what she gave to me. When the tray was empty, she picked it up and straightened.

"I'll be back with more food as soon as I can," she whispered.

She turned to go back upstairs, then hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder at where I was sitting, her eyes meeting mine. I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything. I just looked at her, my hands tied strapped behind my back, down in her dark basement. She opened her mouth as if to say something, choked on her words, then turned again and sped up the stairs, opening the door and slipping out of my prison.

Her absence left a ringing silence. I sat there for a long time, just staring up at the door she had disappeared through. So I wasn't the only one being held prisoner here. In a way, it was a relief to have someone else who wasn't completely evil in the same building.

My stomach was far from full, but it wasn't as empty anymore. I still felt completely humiliated at having to be fed by another person. I knew what they were doing- trying to discourage me further. Stacey may not realize it, but she was stripping me of my dignity, making me depend on my captors to keep me alive. Gabe had reached a new level of evil, one that I hadn't even thought possible.

Now that my stomach had stopped attempting to eat itself, the exhaustion tugged at me once more, begging me to sleep. I refused. I couldn't sleep now, not in this place. Who knew what would happen while I was asleep? I had to resist, at least for now.

I don't know how long I sat in the dark, thinking of anything to keep myself from falling asleep, but very soon, I noticed that the darkness was changing. My eyes slid shut against my will, and my head dropped to my chest as I fell asleep.

* * *

There was something warm shining on me. My eyes fluttered open, and I blinked at the bright sun shining in the sky. It was about noon, and the sun was directly overhead.

I sat up on my elbows, looking around and trying to identify where I was. Then I realized I was on a beach. The sand burned beneath me, and the waves crashed out at sea. I recognized it. It was my beach, the beach where I had confessed the truth about Gabe to all of my friends. What was I doing here?

"_Stupid Seaweed Brain,_" laughed a voice behind me.

I spun around to see Annabeth sitting cross-legged on a blue blanket. She was wearing shorts and an orange t-shirt, her hair done up in a sloppy ponytail. She smiled at me, and I thought that she'd never looked more spectacular.

Annabeth patted the blanket next to her, and I felt myself climb to my feet and walk over to her. She scooted over, giving me enough room to sit down next to her.

Annabeth grinned at me and took my hand. "_Took you long enough,_" she said in an odd voice. It was breezy, and seemed to be coming at me from the other end of a long tunnel.

I tried to open my mouth, to speak, but nothing came out. The power of speech had been robbed from me, but at the moment, I couldn't bring myself to worry about that now. I was too focused on Annabeth.

She leaned her head against my shoulder, her usual know-all smirk painted across her face. "_I've missed you,_" she said.

I couldn't respond, so I just squeezed her hand, hoping to convey my feelings to her. _I missed you too._

With a sad sigh, Annabeth lifted her head, turning to face me. She brought her lips gently to mine, just brushing. "_I love you,_" she breathed.

I felt my heart pound, and my vision start to go blurry. The edges of the beach were growing fuzzy, dissolving into black. Annabeth stood up, dropping my hand, and stepped away from the towel. I opened my mouth in protest, reaching out to her. The darkness continued to eat away at the scene, eating away the sand and the ocean, the trees in the distance. It began to close in on Annabeth.

_No! _I thought as she was swallowed up.

The darkness continued to creep up until I was just an island on my blanket. Then it penetrated that, too. It crept closer, and closer, until, quite suddenly, there was nothing under me at all.

I started falling into the blackness, wind whistling past my ears, my mouth open in a silent scream.

* * *

I woke up with a jolt, jumping in my chair. My eyes were wide and my breathing heavy as I took in my surroundings.

I was still in the pantry. My hands and feet were still tied. I was still a prisoner. It had all been a dream.

The door opened again, and I gulped, trying to steady my breathing. It was Stacey again, coming to feed me again, that's all.

But it wasn't Stacey at the door. I looked up, horror filling me as Gabe stalked down to me, not even bothering to close the door. I flinched as he came right up and punched me in the jaw without even bothering to explain himself.

He grabbed my arm in a tight grip, and I let out a hiss of pain. He twisted it roughly to the left, and I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming as my shoulder cried out in protest, struggling against the ropes that held the rest of my arm in place.

Gabe's grip never lessened as he twisted, harder and harder. Tears filled my eyes and I squeezed them shut, trying to block out the pain. He had to stop, it was unbearable, surely my shoulder would tear out of its socket-

Then he stopped, and my arm dropped like deadweight. I let a gasp of air escape from my lips.

Gabe gave me a smirk and crossed his arms, blinking stupidly. "Wimp," he said. "What type of man lets something like that hurt him? That was nothing."

He slapped me across the cheek, and pain burst in front of my eyes as he hit the already bruised flesh. Laughing at my heavy breathing and pained expression, Gabe turned around and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

I let the tears fall as he left._ Wimp. _They fell thick and fast, coating my stinging cheek. I tried to adjust myself in my chair, but only succeeded in moving my shoulder and sending pain through it again. I let out a sharp hiss of pain and let my head drop again in defeat.

Suddenly, the dream with Annabeth came back to me, before she had disappeared into the darkness. Her laughter and smiles, the way her lips touched mine- _I love you._

I loved her. I realized that now. And I had never told her.

I had to. Whatever it took, I would get out of here and tell her that I loved her. It didn't even matter if she loved me back, as long as I got to tell her.

I lifted my head, steely determination glinting in my eyes.

I had to escape.

**A**

* * *

**/N: Boom. You all wanted more Percy action, and I gave you more Percy action. Mhhmmmm. ;D**

**I totally did not plan on putting Stacey into the story. I was writing and thinking how I was gonna get food to Percy, when I felt a total wave of guilt for putting my character through this. So, I gave him Stacey! Ta-da! Then I gave him the dream… Kick-butt Percy is back into action!**

**How was everyone's Christmas? (If you celebrate) I gots a lava lamp! And One Direction tickets! Huzzah!**

**I'm going on vacation on Sunday, up to the mountains to ski. I'll be bringing my laptop, but I'm not sure how much time I'm going to have to write. I'll be there through New Years, so… yeah.**

**Okay. I discovered a new couple in Percy Jackson. I was browsing Deviantart and found a picture, which led me to a story on here, which I loved, which led me to others, and now I ship Percy/Nico as well as Percabeth! They are amazing together, and I would never have imagined I would actually get into those stories. I'm surprised in myself. Don't worry, it won't be in this story, haha. But if anyone has any good Percico stories they now of, tell me! :3**

**My cat is sleeping. He's so cute. Had to say that, sorry.**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Please, continue leaving them. TIS AN ORDER. The more reviews I get, the faster I update!**

**Thanks for reading, everyone! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Annabeth's POV

I put my head down on the desk and took a deep breath. Behind me, Thalia and Nico were still arguing about who-knows-what- as always.

We had been looking for Percy for a week. A _week. _That was _far _too long in her opinion.

I missed him. I missed his dopey little smiles, the way his hair flopped into his eyes, the way his eyebrows scrunched together when he was confused, that little laugh he would give when he heard a good joke, the way their hands fit together so perfectly- I just missed him.

The worry about him was practically eating me alive. I hadn't slept all week and spent almost all my time looking for him, asking around and putting up posters. In light of the situation, my parents had let me take the week off of school, and had suggested numerous times that I take a trip to the psychiatrist.

"I'm not crazy," I had snapped at them irritably after they had hesitantly mentioned it at the dinner table, before stomping off to my room.

Neither Dominic nor Poseidon had reported anything new. Poseidon called often to tell me that they were looking, that they would find him soon, and all those things- but his assurances seemed hollow in light of the situation. Percy have simply vanished off the face of the earth.

The twins were extremely confused about where Percy was. They asked about him constantly, and although I hadn't given them all the details, I still heard them whispering: "Do you think he died?"

I tried hard to ignore their whispered conversations, but the fear was nagging in the back of my mind. What if he _was _dead? Maybe Gabe had decided he was sick of him and just didn't want to have to deal with him…

_Don't think like that, _I snapped at myself. "Will you shut up?" I said out-loud.

Nico and Thalia quickly went quiet. My friends had decided I was some kind of delicate piece of glass over the past week, and tip-toed around me. I was _not _delicate, and I was handling this just fine.

I slammed my hand on the desk, making a noise of frustration. "This is impossible!"

Just fine.

"Just be patient, Annabeth," Grover said. "We'll find him."

"Of course we will," said Thalia. "I have a few choice words to say to Kelp Head."

"Like sorry?" Nico asked, glaring at her. He was still angry at Thalia because of what she had said to him.

"I already apologized," Thalia snapped.

"Not to Percy!"

"Let's focus on finding him first," Grover interrupted before a full-fledged war could break out. "Then Thalia can apologize."

"I get it!" Thalia said loudly. "I messed up, okay? I didn't mean to say it! And it doesn't help to have you guys bagging on me about it, I already feel bad enough as it is! How do you think I feel about all of this? Percy's my best friend, and I hurt him and got him kidnapped! So just, lay off a bit!"

There was a silence as everyone stared at Thalia. Thalia turned away and put her head in her hands, her black hair covering her face.

Nico stood up and walked over, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I never thought about it like that. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," Thalia said in a muffled voice. "If I hadn't started screaming at him, he wouldn't have run away and he'd still be here."

"Gabe would have found him anyways," Grover said sadly. "We couldn't have been with Percy for the rest of his life. We just have to find him now."

"You know what?" Nico asked, looking around the room at all his depressed friends. "Let's take a little break. Get something to eat. Percy wouldn't want us to just sit around being all sad," he added when he saw my mutinous look.

I sighed. "Fine," I muttered. "I guess I could use a break."

"Sounds good," Grover said.

"Thalia?" Nico asked.

Thalia shook her head, still hiding her face. "Don't feel like it," she muttered.

Nico rolled his eyes. "We can get ice cream."

Thalia peeked up at him with one shockingly blue eye, a grin sliding onto her face. "Well…" she said slowly, "I guess a break wouldn't hurt anything…"

* * *

"I don't know how you can eat that stuff," Thalia said, wrinkling her nose at Nico's ice cream as she took a seat across from him.

He held a spoonful in her face, a smirk on his face. His cousin ducked away from the mint chocolate chip ice cream dripping off the pink spoon, shooting a glare at him.

"It's delicious," he said, spooning it into his mouth and grinning at her.

Thalia stuck her tongue out at him and took a bit of her own triple chocolate chip.

Grover sat down next to them with his own bowl of fresh strawberry ice cream. I dropped into the empty chair, staring moodily at the blue sherbet I had gotten.

Blue. Percy's favorite color. Percy. I missed him. Have I mentioned that?

"Annabeth, are you going to eat that?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow as I just stared at the bowl of ice cream.

I stabbed my spoon into it, not looking at her.

"Violent," she muttered.

"Maybe you should get a different flavor," Grover said lightly, noticing the color.

I shook my head. "It's fine," I mumbled, eating a spoonful.

"I'm done," Nico said, putting down his empty cup. Everyone stared at him, and he shrugged.

"Moron," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Brat."

"I just love having them around, don't you, Annabeth?" Grover asked over their fight.

I felt my lips pull up into a half-smile, the first I had had in a good week. Grover smiled and went back to eating his ice cream, obviously happy to have seen me smile.

"You're so lucky you don't have to go to school, Annabeth," Thalia said, ending their argument. "Mr. Brunner has been overloading us with homework. It's crazy."

"He gave us two pages," Grover muttered.

"Two pages too many!" Thalia proclaimed, taking another bite of ice cream.

"Thalia, you are the laziest person I have ever met," I said.

"Am not! That's Nico!"

Nico snorted. "Uh-huh. Didn't you pay someone to carry you around the track during that mile run last year?"

"He needed money, and I decided to be generous," Thalia said, putting her nose in the air. "And he was very grateful to me."

"You almost broke his back," Nico said with a smirk.

"You calling me fat?" Thalia asked vehemently.

"Yeah."

"Why you little-"

"Well I'm done," I said loudly, putting my cup down. I stood up and leaned over to toss it in the trash, letting it fall onto the dozens of empty cups just like it. "Here," I said, holding out my hand for Grover's empty cup.

"Thanks," he said, handing it over.

Thalia held out her cup hopefully. I just stared at her.

"Fine," she muttered, "I'll do it myself."

Once she and Nico had gotten rid of their own trash, we stepped out into the late afternoon light. It was crowded out on the side walk, and I felt myself getting pushed and jostled around. We joined the flow, merging into the crowd, and started to make our way down the street.

"This is way too crowded," Thalia said.

Grover was getting a little bit of space because of his crutches, which Nico took advantage of. He walked right next to him, and didn't get bumped into by anyone.

"Oh, come on," I said, grabbing Thalia's elbow and dragging her through the crowd. Grover and Nico followed quickly after us as I led them down a side street, where it was much less crowded.

"Hmph," said Thalia, straightening her shirt. "People are so rude these days."

"Hey," Nico said, furrowing his eyebrows. He was looking at something ahead of us. "Do we know him?"

I glanced over to where he was looking. "No, I-" I froze, staring at the man.

He was walking towards us, head down. He was irritably tapping a watch on his wrist, muttering under his breath. He was tall, with a black mustache. He had a broad face and a mean sneer. And I knew exactly where I had seen him.

"Cecil," I breathed.

"What?"

"The guy that took Percy," I said, my heartbeat quickening.

Everyone gasped in realization and looked at him again. We put our heads down, hiding our faces as he walked by. He didn't seem to notice us.

"Well," Thalia said a second after he had passed, "I'm going to go beat him up." She took a step in his direction, but Grover pulled her back.

"Hold on," he said, alarmed. "You can't just go after him!"

"Course I can! He took Percy!"

"Let's follow him," Nico said. "He'll lead us right to him. _Then _we'll beat the crap out of him."

"That's a better plan," Grover said, nodding nervously. "But just following! At least, until we find Percy."

They all looked at me, and I realized I had just been standing there, staring after the man. I blinked and looked at the others, who were looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly, feeling overwhelmed.

"Let's follow him," Thalia said abruptly. "Come on, he's getting away."

She grabbed my arm, just like I had done to her a few minutes ago, and pulled me after him. Grover and Nico hurried after us as we followed the man who would hopefully take us to where Percy was being held.

* * *

**A/N: Mwahaha, cliffhanger. I am an evil person, I know.**

** HAPPY NEW YEAR! First post of 2013! And the world didn't end, yay!**

**School started again. Yuck. It made me sad, I had to get up early again, and I don't like getting up. And I've already been pushing off my homework until after I wrote this… *sigh***

**On the upside, my dad ****_finally _****caved and bought me an iPhone. Huzzah! It's awesome, and I don't feel so behind on the technology today. Ah, life is good. You know, except for the whole getting up early thing…**

**I've decided that for high school I'm going to apply to a school of the arts for their creative writing course. I have to put together a portfolio of twenty pages of my best work by next year. Gods, I'm scared. I REALLY want to get in, even though I'll be leaving all my friends behind… it's a really good school, though.**

**I hope everything's been going okay with all of my WONDERFUL readers. Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews! I was wondering what it would be like if every single person who read this left a review… It'd be pretty cool, right? Don't be the one to break the chain, please, please, please take the time to leave a review! It'll only take about twenty seconds or less, I promise!**

**Thanks for reading everyone! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon : )**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	27. Chapter 27

**A treat for you, because I'm feeling nice! This is a slightly longer chapter than I normally write :3 Thanks for being such loyal fans and friends, and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Mwahaha, I give you the next chapter…**

* * *

**Chapter 27**

Annabeth's POV

"Where's he going?" Nico whispered.

"Shut _up, _Nico!"

"I just-"

"No!" Thalia snapped at him. Nico shut his mouth, but not without shooting a glare at his cousin.

We had been following the man for about five minutes. Five minutes of lurking in the shadows, creeping down alleys, and trying not to lose sight of the man that had taken my boyfriend away from me. We walked quietly, only whispering very softly when was necessary.

We were all scared. Or, I was guessing we all were. My heart was beating like crazy in my chest, and I was trying hard to control my breathing. I understood that we might find Percy when we reached the end of our destination, but that wasn't what was scaring me. I was scared about what _shape _we would find him in.

Thalia's face was hard and closed, which is what hinted me to the fact she was scared and trying to hide it. Grover was openly showing his fear on his face, eyes wide but determined to find his best friend. And Nico looked relatively calm, but he kept trying to talk to us. And I felt kind of bad when we had to shut him up.

He was just a kid, really. He had just barely turned fourteen, and here he was, skulking around in alleys and following kidnappers to rescue his friend. When _I _was fourteen, I was still in my 'obsessive Harry Potter' phase. I hadn't even dreamed that I would ever do anything even remotely related to this. Who was I to drag Nico into this?

But then I thought, even if we did tell him to go away, he never would.

And that made me feel a bit better.

The man turned another corner and ducked through a small alley. We followed after him at a safe distance, and finally emerged into a small neighborhood.

I use the term 'neighborhood' loosely. It was extraordinarily crappy, and I normally could find the beauty in even the most run-down buildings. All of the houses were tiny and in shambles, the street was littered with beer bottles and trash, and it was completely and utterly deserted. Honestly, it was more of a ghost town then a neighborhood. If this was where they were keeping Percy… I was going to hit that man so hard he was going to fly all the way to China.

"He's going into that house," Nico whispered, pointing ahead of us.

The man was entering one of the many disgusting, ratty houses. Once, it might have been a pretty color, but now it was faded a sickly yellow with brown splotches everywhere. I wrinkled my nose as we sprinted across the street to duck behind some dying bushes in the front yard.

We were silent for a moment, just staring at the house. It was completely quiet in there, nothing happening at all. No voices, no footsteps, no doors slamming. I wondered if the man hadn't just disappeared into another realm, hidden under the cover of this less-than-satisfactory neighborhood.

"I-" started Thalia quietly, but she was interrupted by a sudden sound of voices. There was shouting coming from the house, even though they couldn't exactly pick out the words that were being thrown around. After another moment of the yelling, the door opened forcefully. The man they had followed was stalking out, an angry look on his face. He walked over to a van waiting on the street and threw open the passenger door.

Another man followed him out, looking equally mad. He looked disgusting, big around the middle with greasy hair and skin. I felt my eyes widen as anger as I had never known coursed through my veins. I had seen this man only once before, very briefly, but his image had been imprinted in my head. This was the man that had abused my boyfriend for eight years, the man who had done the most unforgivable act toward an innocent boy of only eight years old.

This was Percy's step-father.

I wanted nothing more than to run out there and start pounding his filthy little face into the ground, but I controlled myself. First thing's first: get Percy out of there, as I was now sure he was being held somewhere in that house. _Then _I could beat up Gabe.

And I would enjoy every minute of it.

The two men hopped into the car, slamming the doors shut, and the van screeched out of the neighborhood, leaving everything silent again.

"What the _hell?_" Thalia whispered, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Let's go get Percy," Nico muttered.

"Hold on," Grover said nervously. "We don't know for sure that Percy's in there. If we have the wrong house, we could-"

"We don't have the wrong house," I said flatly.

The others turned to look at me, surprised at my tone.

"How do you know?" Thalia asked.

"That man that just walked out?" I said. "That was Percy's step-father."

The reaction was instantaneous. Nico's eyes narrowed, Thalia went red, and Grover looked murderous. "I'm going to kill him," Thalia hissed, jumping up. I reached out and yanked her back down without even glancing at her.

"Woah woah woah, if anyone's going to kill him, I am," I said. "But after we get Percy out of that house."

The others muttered words of agreement under their breaths.

"Alright, let's go," Nico said, standing up. He turned to walk towards the house, but Thalia grabbed the back of his black hoodie, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hold up there, shorty," she said in a quiet voice, so unlike her normally loud one.

He turned back to her, frowning. "Why?" he asked. "Now's as good a time to do it as ever. Let's go, before they come back!"

Thalia looked uncomfortable. She looked down, not meeting Nico's eyes. "You're not going," she muttered.

Nico's frown sharpened. "Don't be silly, of course I am."

"No, you aren't," Thalia said, putting a little bit more force into her words. "You're too young, Nico, you can't do something like this. I want you to get out of here."

"You're crazy," Nico growled at her. "You can't stop me from doing this! I'm not too young!"

"You're fourteen!" Thalia snapped. "That's too young!"

"You don't own me!"

"Yes I _do!_" Thalia said, raising her voice. "You are my cousin, Nico, my _little _cousin. You're practically my little brother! And I am not about to let you go into the home of a psychopath. It's too dangerous, Nico! I know you think you're old enough, but I know you aren't. As much as I wish you could be there with me, I can't _do _that, Nico! I can't let anything happen to you! I already messed up with Percy, and look where he is now! I am not going to mess up with you, too! You are not going into that house, and nothing bad is going to happen to you! Do you understand me?" She was practically shouting by now.

I stared at her in awe. Thalia had matured. I had never expected to hear her yelling at someone, like a… like a parent. It just wasn't her. And here she was, ordering Nico to stay out of a fight for the first time in his life.

Nico was shocked into silence. He stared at Thalia like he had never seen her before, his shaggy black hair hanging down into his black eyes. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, as he searched for something to say. "Thalia-" he started awkwardly.

"No, Nico," Thalia said, finally turning her gaze away. She stared at the ground, not meeting his eyes. "You can't come. I don't care if you hate me forever; I am not letting you go in there."

"Nico," I said quietly. I fished around in my pocket, pulling out my cellphone. "Go. Take this. Get out of this neighborhood, call Poseidon and Dominic. They'll keep you safe. Bring them here. We need you to do this, Nico, we need help."

Nico hesitated slightly before he reached out one pale hand to take my phone. He held it awkwardly in his hands, staring at it.

"Alright," Grover said, clearing his throat. "We should get going."

Thalia glanced up at Nico out of the corner of her eyes, but he refused to look at her. Her face crumpled, her eyes turning sad.

"Go," she said quietly.

Giving her one last look, Nico turned on his heels and sprinted down the street, phone clutched tightly in his hand. We watched him until his dark figure had disappeared.

"Thalia…" I said quietly, watching my friend.

"I'm fine," she muttered. "Let's just… let's go find Percy."

* * *

Percy's POV

I struggled against my bonds for the thousandth time. And, for the thousandth time, I was rewarded with absolutely nothing. Brilliant.

I irritably blew a strand of black hair out of my face, glaring at nothing in particular. This was ridiculous. I felt like a caged animal, and in the past week I had only moved very briefly to go the bathroom once a day, and even then, one of my hands was tied to the chair.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Stupid chair. Stupid ropes. Stupid small room. Stupid Gabe. Stupid _everything. _

Things had been a bit louder around here. Gabe had come in for my daily beat-up, but had been interrupted in the middle of my torture by Cecil. He looked angry, and was muttering something about money as he dragged Gabe out of the room. There had been shouting upstairs before a door slammed and everything went quiet.

I took a deep breath, trying to dispel my anger a bit. Would it _kill _them to open a window or something? The air in the room was arid and stale, and it was all I'd had for… what, a week? Gosh, had I been here _that _long? I could only imagine how worried Annabeth must be.

Knowing her, she was probably freaking out. Running around, rambling to no one in particular as she fretted, trying to calculate where I could be. Really, it could get quite annoying.

I felt a grin slide across my face. I missed her.

The door clicked open, and I turned my head away from the light as always. I was now entirely used to the darkness, and any bit of light stung at my eyes.

After a second, the door shut again. I glanced up, and was glad to see Stacey making her way down towards me, a tray in her hands.

Stacey and I had made a sort of… well, I guess you could call it friendship, over the past week. She came in every day, often twice a day, to feed me. She would stay as long as she could, up to half an hour sometimes. After a bit of pushing her to cut me free, her eyes would start to tear up, and, feeling guilty, I would turn the topic something else. We talked about anything and everything, she just trying to get my mind off my imprisonment, and I trying to take her mind off the beatings she was receiving from Cecil.

I had mentioned Annabeth very briefly once, and Stacey's curiosity had immediately peaked.

So I spent the next half hour explaining Annabeth.

And then the next day, I took another half an hour.

Stacey listened quietly, occasionally interrupting me to feed me bowls of soup or pieces of bread. I rattled on and on, describing everything from her perfect blood hair to the way she always got annoyed when I didn't turn a light off when I left the room. I told her everything, and Stacey listened with a slightly wistful look on her face.

When I had finished, I had kind of trailed off awkwardly, not knowing how to close my two-day speech. "So… uh, she's kind of amazing…" I said, looking down at the floor.

Stacey had stayed quiet, packing up her tray. She stood up, balancing it in both hands, and just stared at me. I didn't meet her eyes, staring intently at the ground.

"You love her, don't you," she said. It wasn't a question. She said it so certainly, like she knew exactly how I felt.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Yeah, I do."

She had given me a small, sad smile. Feeling a burst of inspiration, I looked up, meeting her eyes, trapping her in my gaze.

"I really want to see her again, just one last time," I said in a sad voice.

Stacey's eyes had widened. For one second, I thought I had done it. She hesitated, glancing at my bound wrists. I could literally see her start to walk forward, to come and untie me…

Then she blinked, and stumbled back. "I- I can't," she said, eyes wide with fear. "Percy, I'm so, so, sorry, I just-"

"I understand," I said quietly. It was the same thing I had felt when I was with Gabe- trapped. I couldn't blame her. I _didn't _blame her.

She had taken a deep breath, then turned and walked up the stairs shakily. At the top, she had stopped, her hand on the doorknob. Turning around, she spoke: "You'll see her again," she said quietly. "I know you will."

Then she threw open the door and ran out, slamming the door behind her.

I had smiled a crooked smile at the closed door. "I know."

I shut my eyes, pulling myself out of the past. My wrists were burning, as they had been all week. They were rubbed raw and covered in blood from where I had furiously fought against the ropes. I was pretty sure I was going to have rope burn for the rest of my life.

I felt my eyelids droop as I yawned. My sleeping schedule had been pretty messed up while I was in here. I slept when I felt tired, and as there was little to do except fight fruitlessly against the expertly tied ropes, I slept quite a bit. If I got out of here, I was going to have a hard time getting back to regular sleeping patterns.

_When _I got out of here, I corrected. Oh, I was going to get out. That could be counted on.

My head dropped onto my chest as my eyes slipped shut and I fell asleep, unaware that things were about to change- for better or for worse, only time could tell.

* * *

Annabeth's POV

"Okay," I whispered to my two friends. "We sneak in, we find Percy, we get out. Then-"

"We _get _it, Annabeth," Thalia said. "You've already told us the plan seven times."

"I want to be thorough," I snapped at her.

"You can't get much more thorough than what you just drilled into my head," Grover muttered. "I'm pretty sure the words 'we sneak in, we find Percy, we get out' will be repeating in my head for the rest of my life."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut _up, _Grover."

Thalia rolled her eyes. She still looked a little disheartened from her fight with Nico, but she was trying to hide it, I could tell. I decided to do her a favor and ignore it, give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Let's _go_," she said.

We stole across the lawn as quiet as we could. Grover went a little slower because of his crutches. I had thrown out the idea that maybe he stay behind, but Grover was insistent. He was going in to find his best friend whether we liked it or not.

I wished that I had friends that would do something like that for me.

Then, I started, coming to a realization. I _did _have friends. I had Percy, who I would willingly take a bullet for if the situation called for it. Thalia and I had, if anything, grown closer over all of this. And Grover and Nico had grown on me too. They were my best friends now, and we would always be there for each other. I, Annabeth Chase, finally had friends.

It felt wonderful.

We finally reached the door. I gulped before reaching out a hand and taking the cold metal, giving it a gentle twist. The door opened easily, swinging open and admitting us entrance to the house.

It smelled. That was the first thought that ran through my mind. I was hit strongly with the scent of beer and gym-socks that no one ever washed. I gagged slightly, but nevertheless, crept across the threshold and into the dim house.

Grover shut the door behind us. I almost told him to open it again as we were shut completely inside. If anything, it was worse than the outside. The paint was peeling off the walls, and there were quite a few holes in the plaster; it looked like someone had punched it, multiple times. The carpet was stained with what looked like beer, and shirts and trash lay everywhere. A few lamps dotted here and there, casting enough light to see over the short hallway. A vase with a single flower sat on a table, as if someone had attempted to bring just a little bit of beauty to such a dismal house as this.

"This is officially creepy," Grover muttered nervously. Thalia started humming the Twilight Zone theme song under her breath.

"Be _quiet,_" I hissed. "The house may not be empty!"

That shut them up.

We walked as quietly as we could, huddled closer together than we normally would have been. I had to step over a particularly gross red t-shirt that lay in my path. I refused to touch any of these things, especially if any of them had belonged to _Gabe._

At the end of the hallway were two doors that led, I presumed, to other parts of the house. We stopped at the end, looking between both of them.

"Which one?" Thalia asked. They both turned to look at me.

I felt my heartbeat speed up as I regarded the two doors. It was down to me. I could either find Percy, or get us totally and completely caught.

My hand shaking, I put my hand on the doorknob of the door on the left side. Very carefully, I started to turn it.

"Are you sure?" Grover asked quietly.

I paused as the door clicked. All I had to do was push on the door, and it would open.

"No," I said truthfully.

Then I opened the door.

We were in a living room of some sort. A couch sat in the center of it, scratched and dirty, facing a small TV. A table littered with empty beer bottles and half-eaten plates of food sat between the two.

"Pleasant," Thalia muttered.

We walked further in. On the other side of the room was another door, which I guess led to either a bedroom or a bathroom. Well, there was a chance Percy might be there. I elbowed the other two and pointed at the door. When they nodded, we all moved forward.

All three of us froze as the doorknob turned. My mouth dropped open as I tried to hold in a shriek. The house _wasn't _empty! We were going to be caught! Oh, what had I done?

I felt the others tense beside me as the door opened. I clutched at Grover's arm, and Thalia clutched at mine, as we watched a lady emerge from the room.

She was about as tall as me, but obviously much older. She had thinning brown hair and wide, sad eyes. Bruises littered her face and her arms. When she saw us, she froze, eyes widening even more with fear.

"Who- who are you?" she stuttered.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward.

"We're looking for Percy Jackson," I said in a voice much braver than what I was feeling. "We know he's here. Where is he?"

The woman's eyes darted between us, her mouth opening and closing silently. Sucking in a shaky breath, she finally spoke. "I- I don't-"

"Listen, lady," said Thalia hotly, stepping up next to me. The lady shrunk back, away from us. "He's our friend, and we know he's here. Now I suggest you take us to him, and don't call any of your little friends to help you. Just tell us where he is!"

The woman looked at Thalia with… fear? Fear. She was afraid of us. Why was she afraid?

She looked at all of us in turn, and her eyes suddenly landed on me. She drank me in, looking at every aspect of my face. I shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable about this strange lady. Why was she so interested in me? Did I know her? Oh, please don't let me know her; I've had enough surprises to last me a lifetime…

"You're Annabeth, aren't you?" she asked suddenly.

I stared at her, surprised. Okay, I wasn't expecting that.

"How do you know?" I asked suspiciously.

A small smile crossed her lips, there, but very faint. "Percy's described you many times," she said quietly. "I could recognize you anywhere."

"So he is here!" Thalia said as I felt my breath stop for a moment.

The woman nodded uncertainly, almost imperceptibly. I realized that I had no reason to fear her. In fact, she almost seemed like she wanted to help us, like she was on our side. And the way she spoke of Percy… I decided to trust this lady.

I took another step towards her. The woman watched me with cautious eyes, but didn't step away.

"Please," I said quietly. "Take us to him."

She met my eyes, and we stared at each other. She seemed to be searching me, making sure this was what she really wanted to do. I had a feeling that helping us would mean a big sacrifice on her part, and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to make it, no matter how much she seemed to want to help us.

Just as I could feel Thalia and Grover starting to get restless behind me, she spoke.

"Do you love him?" she asked quietly.

I was taken aback by her question, but I felt an answer spring to my lips with no hesitation: "Yes."

That seemed to strengthen her resolve. She straightened her spine, nodding. "Alright," she said quietly. "I'll take you to Percy."

**(A/N: Just for the record, I was totally ready to leave you all there. Then I decided not to… you know, that would be a little mean :D And so I demand extra thoughtful reviews, for I'm going to keep going!)**

LINE BREAK

"Who are you?" Thalia asked as we navigated our way through the house.

The woman glanced over her shoulder at us. "Stacey," she said quietly. "I'm Cecil's wife."

Thalia's lip curled. "You married that pig?" she asked in surprise.

Stacey winced. "It was a mistake," she mumbled. "And I regret it. I realize now what a horrible man he is, especially if he is friends with the likes of Gabe Ugliano."

"Percy's been here this entire time?" I asked.

Stacey nodded. "Cecil lent him our house," she explained, opening another door. This led us into a bright kitchen, and I blinked. It was very bright in here, very different from the rest of the house. A small counter with a sink and oven faced us from across the room, and a small wooden table sat in the center of the tiled floor.

"He wanted to keep Percy here," she continued, crossing the floor. "He… well, he… he hasn't been very kind to him…" Stacey gulped. "I- I wanted to stop it. I- I really did. But Cecil and Gabe, they- they told me it wasn't in my best interest to- to-"

She stopped, unable to go in. I took in her battered state and the end of her sentence suddenly popped into my head, explaining everything.

"They hit you," I hissed out, anger lacing my voice. "God, they hit you too!"

Stacey turned her head away. "I'm so sorry," she said miserably.

I took a breath, trying to calm myself. "It's fine," I said in a low voice. "I completely understand. It isn't your fault, and I'm sure you did everything you could to help make Percy a little bit more comfortable than he would have been. You mustn't blame yourself."

Stacey stopped, turning fully around to look at me. A frown graced her lips as she looked at me.

"You're different from others, Annabeth. Thank you," she said sincerely. "I understand now why Percy cares for you so much."

I felt a light blush spread across my cheeks. Had Percy _really _talked about me that much? There wasn't much to say about me. Honestly, I wasn't sure what Percy saw in me. I was just… me. Nothing special. Just Annabeth Chase, freaky smart-girl.

_No, _a voice whispered in my head. _Wise Girl._

Stacey crossed the room and opened a drawer, her back to us. When she turned back to us, she had a knife in her hand.

"Oh my god," Thalia squeaked as Stacey walked back over, knife clutched in her fist.

"Calm down," I muttered. "She won't hurt us."

I was right, of course. Stacey walked right past us to a door I hadn't noticed before. She turned the lock and slowly opened the door, peering inside.

"Come on," she said, opening the door wider.

We walked over and peeked through the doorway. It was dark in the room, but I could see a flight of stairs leading down. And at the bottom of the stairs, illuminated by the light coming from the kitchen, was a figure. A figure sitting in a chair, his hands tied behind his back, completely limp in the chair.

"Oh my god," I whispered, feeling my heart stop. "_Percy._"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, okay, I know. I still left you on a cliffhanger. I was debating against it, but… meh. I'll be the evil little girl I am :D**

**I know the drill. You all hate me, blah blah blah, I have to update fast, blah blah blah. I get it by now, and that's just one of the many joys of leaving my awesome fans on a cliffie! Bahahahaha!**

**I had fun writing this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I know I'm a mean person for stopping it there, but eh. I got this chapter out in only two days! How boss is that? You can all praise me now.**

**Ugh, school stinks. I was in the library for an hour today doing homework. Not cool, not cool. And I have two tests on Friday, and I have to STUDDYYY! No me gusta estudiar. At all. Especially not this soon after break. Man, these teachers have it OUT for me!**

**Alright, here's the thing: my friend's coming over Friday, so I can't write then, and on Saturday is softball tryouts, so I can't write then. So I won't be able to update until AT LEAST Sunday, probably Monday… I'm so sorry : ( My apologies, people of the internet!**

**But hey, if you want to keep yourself busy, you can check out my other stories… *wink, wink***

**Well, I guess I'll leave you all to get on with your lives. Thanks for the reviews, as always, they were pretty darn omazing. Keep them up! Remember, this was a longer chapter…!**

**Thanks so much for reading, all you awesome people!**

**Until next time,**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	28. Chapter 28

**Wow I have been slacking on dedications… *looks ashamed*. Anyways, I'll do at least one more…**

**Dedicated to: Percabeth226 :3**

**Chapter 28**

Annabeth's POV

I bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time, ignoring my friends, who were calling for me to wait. I stopped at the very bottom, hesitating as I looked at my boyfriend.

Percy looked… well, he looked horrible. Bruised and scratched, sagging in his chair, his eyes shut. Was he even still _alive_?

As soon as that thought occurred to me, I felt tears perk at my eyes. No, I couldn't think like that… he couldn't be dead. Not after everything we just went through.

"Percy?" I whispered cautiously, creeping towards him. He didn't move. "Percy," I said, a beg creeping into my tone. "Oh, Percy, please, wake up." I could feel the stares of the others on me, watching hopelessly. Gently, I touched Percy's arm.

It was as if I had electrocuted him. His green eyes shot open, seeming to glow in the near-darkness. He jumped as far as he could in his restraints. I jumped back, shocked, as his eyes scanned the scene around him.

His eyes met mine. I felt myself absolutely melting as I stared into the beautiful sea green eyes I had missed so much. They were wide and full of fear, but they were Percy's. And that's all that mattered right now.

"Annabeth?" he asked in a hoarse and disbelieving voice.

Throat too choked up to speak, I nodded. Slowly, I kneeled down next to him, resting my hand on his leg. I mouthed wordlessly, just staring at him.

"What are… what are you doing here?" he asked, brows furrowed.

I swallowed thickly and managed to give him a small smile. "We're saving you, Seaweed Brain."

"Yes, but how…?"

"Let's get you out," said a soft voice behind me. Stacey emerged from the stairwell, the knife glinting in the faint light.

"Stacey?" Percy asked, obviously confused beyond belief.

"I should have done this long ago," she whispered, walking around him and kneeling down. There was a slicing noise as she started to cut through the ropes, chopping away Percy's restraints.

"I don't understand," Percy said, bewildered. "How did you find me?"

"I'll always find you," I said **(A/N: Total Once Upon a Time moment! Eeep!)**, smiling wider at him.

Percy stared at me, lost for words. "Annabeth… I-"

I cut him off, leaning in to kiss him. His lips were chapped and dry, but they still had a certain softness to them and tasted very vaguely of the ocean that he loved so much. At first, he was hesitant, before he leaned into the kiss as much as he could. I felt my heart hammering as I raised my hand to his cheek, our lips moving together.

There was a clean _slick _as his ropes were cut. I pulled back and watched as he pulled his hands in front of him and winced, flexing them slowly.

"Oh my god, Percy, your wrists!" They were raw and bloody, practically glowing red from all the dry blood.

"Yeah," Percy said dryly. "That would happen when you're trying to escape."

Stacey moved down and sliced through the ropes binding his feet, releasing him completely. With a sigh, she stood back up and stepped back into the shadows.

I placed my hands under his elbows, slowly helping him to his feet. Percy winced, moving muscles that had been confined to one place for so long. I watched as he slowly rotated his right shoulder, hissing in pain.

"Percy?" Thalia asked quietly.

Percy jumped, looking up to where she was slowly making her way down the stairs. Grover stood up at the top, not coming down because of his crutches.

"Thalia?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry," Thalia whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. "I am so, so sorry."

"For what?" Percy asked quietly, staring at the floor.

"I shouldn't have said those things!" Thalia exclaimed. "I do care about you, Percy; we all do. I was just mad, and those words just kind of slipped out of my mouth, and I didn't mean a word of them, and it's all my fault you got kidnapped, and-"

"Thalia," Percy interrupted. Thalia trailed off, looking at him with wet eyes.

"It's okay," he said softly.

Thalia gave him a shaky smile before bounding forward. She wrapped her arms gently around him, ignoring the way that he flinched when she came closer.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"I forgive you," Percy said.

Smiling, Thalia pulled away again. "Now," she said, putting her hands on her hips, "what were you thinking, going and getting yourself kidnapped?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "It's not like I wanted it. Gabe-" he stopped, letting out a sharp gasp. "Gabe! Where is he? Oh, if he finds you guys here he'll _kill _you!"

"It's okay," I said. "He went out with that man. They're not here."

"Let's get out of here," Thalia said, turning and running back up the stairs to where Grover was waiting.

I walked up, going slower than normal to stay with Percy. He was still wincing at almost every step, moving gingerly. Gently, I took his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. He smiled, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

"I missed you," I said, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb.

"I missed you too," Percy said in a quiet voice. "Annabeth, there's… there's something I need to tell you."

"What?" I asked, looking at him with curiosity.

Percy took a deep breath and stopped halfway up the stairs. I felt confused as he turned to stare me in the eye, a strange emotion hidden in there.

"What?" I asked again in a quiet voice.

"Annabeth," he said softly. "I love you."

My heart stopped beating. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Percy stared at me, straight into my eyes, and I was suddenly able to decipher what emotion was rolling around in his emerald green orbs. It was _love._

Percy Jackson loved me. _Me. _He loved me! I felt so giddy I wanted to scream. I had never been one to be too romantic or mushy, but I felt like I was being squeezed, so great was my happiness. He had actually told me that he loved me! Sure, I knew I loved him, but I hadn't expected him to say this. It was so… forward, so… perfect.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, worry evident in his eyes as he watched me. I figured I must look like an idiot right now, standing there, having a mini fangirl attack.

"Percy," I breathed. I smiled at him, a laugh bubbling out of my throat. "I love you too."

Percy's expression changed from worry to delight. "Really?" he asked.

I laughed louder. "Really," I said.

Grinning, Percy leaned in to kiss me again.

"Hey!"

We both jumped before our lips even touched, turning to look up the stairs. Thalia was standing in the kitchen, staring at us with a raised eyebrow.

"As much as I _love _to watch you two making out, I would love even more to get out of this damn house. Now can you _please _save it for later?"

Percy laughed, taking my hand again. Together, we ascended the stairs, finally emerging into the bright light of the kitchen.

"Oh- ouch," Percy muttered, clapping a hand over his eyes as he was faced with the bright light. "Right, that hurts."

"Perrrcy!" Grover exclaimed, hobbling over. He engulfed Percy in a hug, forcing Percy to remove his hands from his face.

"Hey, G-Man," said Percy weakly, blinking.

"You need to leave," Stacey said quietly, emerging from the stairwell. She glanced around the kitchen worriedly, wringing her hands.

"Come with us," Percy said immediately.

Stacey looked scared. "I- I can't," she said hurriedly.

"Yes, you _can,_" Percy insisted. "You need to get out of here, Stacey, this is your chance!"

"Cecil-" Stacey started.

"Cecil isn't here," Percy interrupted. "Come with us, Stacey. We'll talk to the police, get both Cecil and Gabe arrested. But we need to go _now._"

Stacey still looked uncertain.

"Look," I said. Everyone turned to me. "I'm going to head outside, see if the police are here yet. Nico should have called them by now. Stacey, you can grab anything you need."

Percy frowned. "Annabeth, I don't-"

I squeezed his hand again before letting go. "Gabe's gone," I reminded him. "I'll be fine. You guys help her with anything she needs, and we'll all get out of here."

Ignoring Percy's worried look, I turned and slipped out of the kitchen. I could hear their voices behind me, trying to convince Stacey to leave with us. I heard Grover and Thalia offering to carry any pictures she wanted to keep before I walked out of earshot.

The house was quiet, the only sound my muffled footsteps as I crossed the living room. I side-stepped a greasy pizza box and lightly jumped over a pile of dirty clothes, my nose wrinkling. I could never understand how people lived like this; it was just plain disgusting!

Of course, this is Gabe we are talking about. And he's the dictionary definition for disgusting.

I felt anger well up in me as I thought about everything he had done to Percy, but I repressed it. The police would be here soon, and he'd be taken care of. I wouldn't have to worry about that… man… anymore, and he wouldn't be able to hurt Percy ever again.

I made my way into the hallway and turned towards the door. Suddenly, there was a rattling sound, and I froze.

The doorknob was turning.

_Please let it be the police, _I thought desperately. _It had to be the police. No, this can't happen; surely, it's Nico and Poseidon…_

The door swung open, and I was left facing none other than Gabe Ugliano.

He still looked angry, and was muttering swear words under his breath. I felt my blood run cold as I stood there, too frightened to move.

As if in slow motion, Gabe looked up and saw me. His eyes widened before it was replaced with complete and utter anger. He glared at me.

"Who're you?" he sneered.

I gulped, drawing myself to my full height. "I'm Annabeth Chase," I said bravely. "And you kidnapped my boyfriend."

The sneer turned to a frown, then a smirk. Gabe took a step closer to me, and I felt my heart stop- and this time, it wasn't because I was happy.

"Well," Gabe said, shutting the door and locking it, "let's go see your little boyfriend."

He started walking towards me.

* * *

Percy's POV

"Are you sure you don't want us to grab anything?" Grover asked.

Stacey shuddered. "I don't want any memories from here," she mumbled.

Thalia nodded in understanding. "I totally get that. This place is disgusting."

Grover rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's what she meant, Thalia."

"Shut it, Grover."

"Okay, let's go," I cut in, tapping my foot. I was worried about Annabeth. She said the police would be outside, and she was just going to meet them, but I had a bad feeling about this.

"You think the police are here?" Grover asked.

"I don't think so, brats," growled a voice behind us.

I whirled around, my breath stopping. Beside me, I heard Thalia gasp in fear, and Stacey let out a whimper.

Gabe was standing in the doorway, glaring at me. But that wasn't what scared me. What scared me was that he was holding Annabeth. One hand pressed firmly over her mouth, the other wrapped around her waist, pinning her hands to her sides. Her eyes were wide with fear as she struggled, trying to escape, but I knew better than anyone that Gabe's grip was like iron.

"So, you thought you could escape, huh?" he sneered at me. His angry gaze turned to Stacey, who shrunk back. "Cecil's going to be _very _disappointed in you," he hissed at her. "And I thought you didn't like being beaten."

"Leave her alone," I said in a strong voice, feeling as if I was about to throw up.

Gabe turned back to me, frowning. "So, the kid finally gets some guts. Newsflash: I can do whatever I want to her, and your little girlfriend here."

He squeezed Annabeth's waist, and her eyes went, if that was possible, even wider.

"Let her go," I said in a low, dangerous voice, anger coursing through my veins.

"Are you gonna make me?" Gabe teased sadistically. "What are you gonna do, wimp? Hit me? I'd like to see you try."

He glanced down at Annabeth, who glared at him. "She's a pretty one," he said, smiling down at her. "Don't know how you got her, Jackson. What does she see in you?"

"I said, let her go," I hissed, my fists clenching.

"I don't think so," Gabe snapped. "I think I'll keep her for a little while." He leaned down, placing his face right next to Annabeth's. She struggled even harder, disgust flashing in her eyes.

"Don't touch her," I snapped back, taking a step closer, my legs tensing to run, to attack this monster.

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is Percy going to attack me?" he whispered. He released his grip over Annabeth's mouth. She let out a deep breath, panting, as he reached into his pocket.

"Percy," she breathed out.

"Annabeth," I muttered. Tensing my shoulders and ignoring the pain that shot through them, I sprang forward, attempting to save her.

"Nuh-uh-uh," Gabe snapped, pulling a gun out of his pocket and holding it to Annabeth's temple. She tensed, her body going rigid. "One more step and I shoot."

I ground to a halt, seeing the truth in those eyes. He _would _shoot her, and he wouldn't feel any guilt about it at all. I completely froze, my eyes trained on the trigger.

"Now I've got your attention," Gabe laughed, pulling slightly on the trigger. I ground my teeth, my heart thumping loudly as he teased me with my girlfriend's life.

"Gabe," I said in a low voice. "Gabe, please. Leave her out of this, let her go. I'll stay, I won't leave, just let her go. You can have me instead.

"It's too late for that, punk," Gabe said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm bored with you. And like I said, she's pretty…"

He leaned down again, smirking. The gun was still pressed hard to her temple, his finger threatening to pull it. I could see Thalia, Grover, and Stacey out of the corner of my eye, frozen and wide-eyed as they watched Gabe.

Annabeth didn't move. Her eyes were shut, her breathing heavy. I could feel the absolute fear coming off her; she was terrified. Where were the police?

Smirking, Gabe leaned in even closer, until he was less than an inch from her face. He shot a look at me, and I glared back with pure hatred. My nails were drawing blood from the palms of my hands, so tightly were they clenched.

"Yes, I think I'll keep you," Gabe whispered before smashing their lips together.

Annabeth started struggling, but he caught her hands together and dug the barrel of the gun into her head, stopping her. She froze again, tears escaping from her eyes as he kissed her.

"LET HER GO!" I roared, anger as I had never known welling up inside of me. My vision went red as I sprinted forward, jumping at Gabe.

Taken by surprise, he was wrenched off of Annabeth. She jumped out of the way, leaving me a clear path to Gabe. I leaped at him, bringing him down to the ground despite his large size. It was as if my strength had increased ten-fold. His head slammed against the floor with a satisfying smack, and I pinned him down, glaring at him.

"I am _sick _of you," I hissed at him, venom lacing my words. "You've been pushing me around for too long! What kind of monster are you? Was murdering my mother, your own _wife_, not enough for you? You had to abuse me for eight years too?"

I aimed a punch at his face, relishing at the obvious pain I was causing him. He gasped as my fist connected with his nose with a crunch. "You can't walk all over me anymore, Gabe," I snapped, launching an avalanche of punches at his face. "You'll never hurt me or my friends ever again!" I rained punch after punch down on him, hitting every piece of flesh I could.

His face was starting to bruise, turning a dark purple, swelling under my fingers. He struggled, but I slammed his head down again to silence him. I had eight years' worth of pent up anger to release on him, and he had just assaulted my girlfriend. I had _had _it with him; this was the last straw. I was going to kill him.

I heard voices from the hall, someone dimly shouting "POLICE!" in the background, but I ignored it all, focusing on beating the crap out of Gabe Ugliano.

And then, I froze. His hand was up again, pointing the gun right at my chest. I stared down at it, panting, fear growing in me once more.

"You're done, Jackson," Gabe coughed out. His face was swollen and bruised, and I was pretty sure that I had knocked a few of his teeth out, but he was the one with the gun. He was the one about to kill me, about to take my life.

And he was the one that pulled the trigger.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe. I can now be officially named the most evil person in fanfiction, mwahaha. I love cliffhangers! You know, when I write them. Not when I read them…**

**Percy got to beat the crap out of Gabe! CELEBRATION TIME! Yay, I feel so happy for him : )**

**You know, except for the whole getting shot thing…**

**I hope I didn't mess this chapter up too badly. I'm kind of on a different planet today, and kept zoning out in the middle of my writing, so…**

**Okay, I have a favor to ask of you, my fans. I'm writing an original story on , and I would be SO SO grateful if you could check it out and leave a comment! It would mean so much to me, because I really want to get some viewers on there too, but unfortunately, not many people see it…**

**Here's a link to my site: user/kazoquel4 **

**Thank you so, so much!**

**And thanks for the awesome reviews, please keep them coming!**

**IMPORTANT NEWS YOU MUST READ: I THOUGHT OF A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY! YES! So I'm excited to get to that too :D Yes, this story is going to be coming to a close… but there'll be another one! I'll release the details at the end of this story…**

**Thanks for reading everyone! Next chapter will be up soon!**

**Xoxo, **

**Kayla**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Annabeth's POV

"NO!"

The scream tore from my throat, slicing through the air. The echoing of the gunshot died away, leaving a ringing sensation in my ears. I watched as Percy went limp, blood spilling out from under him as he slouched in Gabe's grip.

"NO! PERCY!" I yelled, trying to run forward. I felt arms wrap around me from behind, holding me back.

"LET ME GO!" I screeched, twisting.

"No, Annabeth!" Thalia said behind me. I caught a glimpse of her face, seeing it streaked with tears. "He still has a gun- the police are here, Annabeth, just wait one second!"

"No!" I yelled, still trying to get out of her grip. "No, Percy's- Percy's hurt, I have- I have to-"

I felt my breathing starting to quicken as I stared at the scene before me. Gabe released Percy, and my boyfriend fell to the ground beside him like a rag doll. Blood was spilling from a wound somewhere around his chest, but I couldn't see exactly where.

Gabe lay there, holding the gun high and… _laughing. _That sadistic bastard, I'm going to kill him…

From the hall, I heard sounds. Someone shouted "Police!"

"In here!" I heard Stacey scream from behind me. "Hurry!"

The door burst open and police swarmed in. At its head was Poseidon, holding a gun and looking around. His eyes searched frantically before falling on the sight of his son lying on the ground. I watched his mouth fall open, his eyes widening in shock.

Unable to stand it, I elbowed Thalia fiercely in the gut. There was a small gasp of pain from behind me and I felt her arms release me. Quickly, I ran forward, stumbling in my haste to get to Percy.

"Percy," I muttered, falling to my knees. My shaking hands turned him onto his back, bending over his face. His eyes were almost shut; a crescent of white shone from under the lids.

My fingers flew across his chest. There was a gaping wound very low on his shoulder, steadily leaking a deep amber blood. Scrabbling frantically, I tried to staunch it with his already blood-stained shirt.

"Percy, Percy no," I mumbled, tears flowing down my cheeks. "Percy, please wake up, Percy, I need you…"

I felt someone kneel down next to me, gently lifting my hands off.

"Annabeth," I heard a voice dimly saying. Sluggishly, I turned to see Poseidon next to me, his face a mask of pain. "Annabeth, you need to come with me."

"NO!" I screamed. I fought off his hands, going back to Percy. I cupped his cheeks desperately. "Percy!"

"Annabeth!" Poseidon yanked me back. I felt myself fall back, breathing heavily.

Around me, lights flashed, and people rushed by. I felt the ringing in my ears continue, and my eyesight grew blurry. The tears stopped streaming down my cheeks, and all I could do was stare as a group of officers crouched down next to Percy, shouting and trying to help stop the bleeding.

I dimly heard people calling my name, but I couldn't respond. I just sat there, staring straight ahead, completely detached from my surroundings.

And I stayed like that for a long time.

* * *

"Annabeth?"

I felt dizzy. The room around me was blurry, and I couldn't make anything out.

"Annabeth, please, can you hear me?"

I blinked slowly, watching as things came back into focus. Turning my head, I could make out the shape of someone sitting next to me, staring at me in concern.

"Thalia?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

My friend's face broke out into a relieved smile. "Annabeth! Oh my God, you're alright!"

I looked around. I was sitting in a bed, the white covers pulled up to my waist. The room was white as well, and smelled like medicine.

"Where… what happened?" I asked, feeling as if my brain had slowed down.

"You went into shock," Thalia said gently.

"Shock?" I asked dumbly.

"For about an hour," she said. "You only just woke up. It was creepy; you were just staring straight ahead, not responding to anything. The doctors said you would just wake up sooner or later. I've been with you for about twenty minutes."

"But…" something clicked in my head, and I sat bolt upright. "Percy!"

"Annabeth, lay down, you need to rest!" Thalia tried to push me back, but I shook her off.

"Where's Percy?" I demanded.

A pained look appeared on Thalia's face, and, looking closer, I saw that her face was streaked with tears. "Annabeth…" she started, as if unsure of how to speak.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, no, he's not dead. He's not! Tell me he's not!" I denied the possibility; Percy couldn't be dead. That just wasn't an option. I refused to believe that he hadn't survived… he just… he had to be okay.

"Annabeth," Thalia said, grasping my shoulders. I stopped struggling, still breathing heavily, and stared into her wet eyes. She gave me a tight smile.

"He's not dead," she said softly.

I let out a gasp of air, feeling relief flow over me. "So where is he?" I asked eagerly.

Thalia hesitated. I narrowed my eyes.

"Where…is…Percy?" I hissed at her.

"Surgery," Thalia said quietly. "He got shot. He- he lost a lot of blood, Annabeth. They aren't sure if- well, if-"

"He'll make it," I finished for her. I felt numb, and hoped that I wouldn't go into shock again.

"No, Annabeth, I- I didn't mean that," Thalia said quickly. "Of course he'll make it; he's Percy! The boy is too stubborn not too."

"Yeah," I repeated dully. Then I cleared my throat, shaking my head. "What happened to Gabe?" I asked.

Thalia grimaced. "Jailed for life, thank goodness, along with Cecil," she said. "We explained about Stacey; they're going to wait for Percy to wake up before they deal with her."

"Where's Nico?"

Thalia sighed. "I don't know," she said. "Poseidon didn't let him come when he came to us. Apparently Nico's seriously pissed about being left out of this all. But he should be here soon, Grover called him."

I put my head in my hands, groaning. "Thalia, when did my life turn into such a mess?"

"As soon as Percy came into it," Thalia said, giving me a small smile.

"Have you called my parents?" I asked.

Thalia grimaced. "They aren't answering the phone. But don't worry, didn't they say they were taking Bobby and Mathew to the amusement park today?" she quickly added upon seeing my eyes widen in fear.

I relaxed back against the sheets, shoulders slumping with relief. "Yeah," I said. "They did. They wanted to get the boys' minds off Percy. He's their idol or something."

"Better not tell him that, or his ego is going to grow even bigger," Thalia grinned.

"If we get the chance to tell him," I muttered pessimistically.

"Annabeth," snapped Thalia.

I held up my hands in surrender. "I know, I know, be more optimistic. I get it."

There was a knock on the door. Frowning, Thalia jumped off the bed and pulled it open.

"Oh, hey, Grover," she said, pulling the door open.

Grover hurried in. He looked horrible; eyes bloodshot, hair a mess- but I was certain that I looked worse.

"Any news on Percy?" he asked immediately.

"No," Thalia said in a tired voice, sitting back down.

Grover groaned, collapsing in a chair in the corner. "The wait is killing me," he muttered. "I know he's in surgery and all, but could they at least tell us if he's going to make it or not? They must know!"

I couldn't stop myself. All the different scenarios of what it would be like if Percy didn't survive flashed through my mind. I don't think I would ever be able to recover if that happened again. He was my first boyfriend, and now he could quite possibly be my last. But he was more than my boyfriend. He was my best friend. A tactless idiot, yes, but my best friend just as well. He hadn't been in my life long, but it felt as if I had known him forever. I had thought that we might be able to have a future together, once we pushed past all the trouble with his step-father, but now that may be nothing more than a wistful fantasy. There was a very high chance that I was never going to see my Seaweed Brain again; alive, at least.

"Annabeth," Thalia muttered, gently touching my hand. I jumped, pulled out of my thoughts. "Don't think too much," she said, giving me a wary smile.

"Thalia," I said in a hoarse voice, feeling tears welling up in my eyes, "what if he doesn't make it?"

Thalia opened her mouth, then closed it, lost for words. Then she shook her head. "I don't know, Annabeth," she whispered. "I don't know."

There was a bang. The door flew open, and I let out a sharp gasp of surprise. Grover fell out of his seat, and Thalia leapt up, ready to fend off any attacker.

Then, she relaxed again, face sagging with relief.

A teenager stood in the doorway. He had shaggy black hair that fell into his black eyes, extremely pale skin, and was dressed in all black. Nico quietly shut the door behind him before slowly turning to look at us.

"Nico-" Thalia started.

She was interrupted as Nico sprinted forward and wrapped her in a hug. Thalia stumbled back, surprised. "Er-" she said, awkwardly patting Nico on the back, "there, there, Nico."

"I thought I'd lost you," Nico mumbled. He pulled back, looking away from her. "Like… like Bianca."

I bit my lip, remembering the story of Bianca's death. Nico's older sister had been at a party with Percy years ago, when they were 14 or something. Bianca had wanted to go home, and Percy had agreed, so they got a ride from a parent or someone. Halfway home, a drunk driver had crashed into them, killing Bianca but sparing Percy and the parent.

Nico had been devastated. For a long time he blamed Percy for not being able to save her, and had resented him. But, after a while, he realized that there was nothing Percy could have done (with a bit of 'persuading' from Grover and Thalia) and had forgiven him. The two boys had even managed to make a strong friendship through all of this.

"Nico…" Thalia said quietly.

Nico shook his head, turning away. "How's Percy?" he asked, trying to brush off what had just happened.

"Er… he's in surgery," Grover said awkwardly.

"They aren't sure if he'll survive," I muttered.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Percy?"

"Yeah," I said warily.

Nico waved his hand. "He'll be fine."

"That's what I keep trying to tell them," Thalia complained. "But no, they're already planning his funeral."

"Thalia, can you be a bit more sympathetic?" Grover asked, exasperated.

"I am!" Thalia shouted, throwing up her hands. "I've been trying! But thinking about what ifs isn't going to help him! Yes, there is a chance that he won't make it, but there's also a very good chance that he will survive! And if he doesn't…" she faltered. "Well, it's no use thinking like that. We just have to stay positive and hope for the best."

I took a deep breath. "You're right," I said. "Percy's… Percy's going to be fine."

"Thank you," Thalia said, smiling at me.

"What happened to Poseidon?" I asked.

Thalia's smile dropped. "He's in the waiting room," she muttered. "He won't talk to anyone. He's… he's really worried about Percy. Not even Dominic can get through to him."

I threw back the covers. "I want to see him," I said.

My friends immediately protested. "You need to rest," Thalia complained.

I waved her away. "I'm _fine,_" I snapped.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. I wobbled for a few seconds before gaining my footing and standing straight. Shooting a contemptuous look at my friends, I opened the door and hurried into the hall.

I sprinted through the corridor, following the signs on the wall to navigate my way to the waiting room. After a few minutes I wheeled around a corner and nearly ran into a nurse who was exiting my destination.

"No running in the halls," she said, frowning at me.

"Sorry," I muttered, pushing past her into the room.

It was a small room with rows of sofas and chairs. A television was hanging from the ceiling, broadcasting some random cartoon. Vending machines lined one wall, while a bathroom stood opposite it. In the corner was a small area for children filled with toys and Legos.

The room was empty except for a man sitting in the corner. His arms were crossed tight and he was staring at the ground, his face a mask.

Slowly, I walked over to him. When I had reached the sofa he was sitting on, I plopped down next to him.

"Mr. Jackson?" I asked cautiously.

Poseidon blinked, glancing up at me. "Oh, Annabeth," he said quietly. "Glad to see that you're okay."

"I was just in shock," I said. "I feel fine now."

Poseidon nodded distractedly. "Good, good."

I took a deep breath. "He'll be fine," I blurted.

Poseidon glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Annabeth-" he started heavily.

"I know where he is," I said. "But he'll be fine. You don't know him well, but I do. Percy will make it through this. He'll be up and annoying everyone very soon, you can count on it."

Poseidon looked at me, his eyes slightly desperate. "Do you really think so?"

I smiled at him, gently taking his hand. "I really do."

He squeezed my hand once, giving me a small smile. We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "I approve," he said randomly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I approve of you dating my son," Poseidon explained, grinning at me. For a moment I could see the child-like look in his eyes, and it was as if I was looking into Percy's eyes instead of his father's. "You're a wonderful girl, and I can see that you care a lot for him," he continued.

I smiled broadly. "Thank you," I said sincerely.

"Annabeth!" a voice called from the hall.

"I'm in here!" I called back.

The door opened, and Thalia, Grover, and Nico came in.

"_There _you are!" Thalia said. "We'd thought you'd gotten lost or something!"

"The trust I feel from my friends is overwhelming," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Excellent, you're all here," said Poseidon. He smiled at us, dropping my hand. "Sit down," he said in a firm voice, his smile drooping.

Nervously, Thalia, Grover, and Nico sat across from us. I turned in my seat to look at Poseidon, biting my lip. I had a feeling we were about to get yelled at.

"What happened to leaving Gabe to us?" Poseidon said conversationally.

"Well, we-" Thalia tried to say.

"Do you have any idea how much _danger _you were in?" Poseidon hissed. "You three could have _died. _Not to mention Percy! You were putting him in danger as well!"

"He already was in danger," Nico snapped.

"And we were going to save him!" Poseidon said.

"How close were you?" I asked suddenly, raising an eyebrow. "To finding him."

Poseidon hesitated. "Close," he defended.

"Look, I'm sorry," I said. "But we saw Cecil Mahoney on the streets, and we weren't going to just let him go. For the record, we did send Nico out to call you, so we were planning on letting you handle it. But when both he _and _Gabe left the house, we saw our chance and took it. I know we could have died, but I know _I _would gladly sacrifice myself for Percy, and I'm sure that's how my friends feel as well. And if we had the chance to save him, we sure as hell were going to take that chance! We just wanted him back, and that was the only way to do it. Besides, we got him out, didn't we?"

"Be that as it may," Poseidon said quietly, "you still could have gotten yourself killed."

"But we didn't," Thalia butted in.

"But you could have."

"But we didn't," I said firmly. "And isn't that all that matters? We're all here, and once Percy's out of surgery, we'll all be safe. Gabe and Cecil were caught, and everyone's life can finally return to normal. And Percy will finally be able to have a home."

Poseidon softened. He looked at each of us in turn, holding our defensive and fierce gazes. "Alright," he said after a moment. "Alright, you've proven yourself to me. As much as I don't approve, I'll admit you did what you thought was best at the time. And it did help get my son back, so I thank you for that. But I'm going to get hell from your parents when they hear what happened."

"Eh, my dad won't care," Nico said dismissively. "He'll think it's just an adventure."

"Same with my dad," Thalia shrugged.

"Don't tell my parents," suggested Grover.

"I can handle mine," I shrugged.

Poseidon chuckled. "You kids are very different, you know that, don't you?" he asked.

"Oh, we know," Thalia said, smirking. "That's what makes us so awesome!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Nico muttered, rolling his eyes.

Thalia's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?" she asked her cousin in a daring tone of voice.

"They always do this," I explained to Poseidon as the two started arguing. "I'm pretty sure that's how they show affection."

"AND WHAT- wait, what?" Thalia asked, turning towards me.

"That's _not _how we-" Nico started to say.

"Excuse me?"

We all looked up to see a nurse standing at the door. She was holding a clipboard and had a nervous look on her face.

Poseidon stood. "Yes?" he said quickly.

"Mr. Jackson?" the nurse asked, checking the clipboard.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" Poseidon asked impatiently.

The nurse smiled sadly. "It's about your son."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, first of all. My uncle's memorial service was on Saturday, his burial yesterday, and I went on a hike today, so I was pretty busy. You all seemed to really enjoy the last cliffhanger (note sarcasm) so I left you with another one! Yay!**

**On that happy note, I finished my first chapter story on here! Yes! I think it's my first, at least… 19 chapters, not bad. It's about the Marauder's First Year (from HP, you know?) and I'm already working on the second year. So if you're into Harry Potter and love James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, please check it out and tell me what you think!**

**And I know you're all super excited about the sequel to this story, so the details will be revealed… soon! The story's almost over, anyways.**

**Thanks for reading, and please remember to review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Annabeth's POV

"Percy?" I asked quickly.

"Yes," the nurse said. "I'm afraid that-"

"Oh my god, he's dead, isn't he?!" Thalia gasped.

"WHAT?!" I yelped, eyes widening.

"No, no, he's not dead," the nurse said quickly. "He's very much alive."

Relief. That was all I could feel right now. It was like a wave, flowing over me and filling every part of my mind. _He was alive. _He's alive. That's all that mattered right now; I could deal with anything else, as long as Percy was alright. He was going to be alright.

"Oh, thank god," Grover said, sighing.

"Can we see him?" Poseidon asked, looking more relaxed than he had in ages.

"That's the problem," the nurse said, frowning.

"Problem?" Nico asked, crossing his arms. "What's the problem? We need to see him, what room is he in?"

"Nico, calm down," Thalia said. Then she rounded on the nurse. "Look, lady, we need to see him, so what's his room number?"

"Thalia," I said quietly. "Relax."

"There were some complications," the nurse continued, glancing nervously at Thalia. "I'm afraid that your friend is unconscious."

"Alright," Thalia said impatiently, "so when's he going to wake up?"

The nurse took a deep breath. "We don't know," she admitted. "He's in a sort of comatose state. He suffered from so many injuries, his body has shut down. We're not sure when he's going to wake up, if at all. It could be hours; it could be months. Only time can tell now."

I let out a moan, putting my head in my hands. "He's in a coma," I muttered. "Oh god, he's in a _coma. _This isn't _fair._"

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Poseidon asked, sounding desperate.

"I'm sorry. We've already done all we can; the rest is up to him now." The nurse brushed back a lock of her hair back, tucking the clipboard under her arm. "Like I said, it could only take a couple of hours until he's awake. But I just want to warn you, there's a chance that he might… never wake up." She smiled sympathetically. "He's in room B56 if you want to visit him," she said. "It's just up the hall, second door on your right."

"Thank you," Poseidon said. The nurse nodded before going to return to the reception desk.

"Annabeth?" Thalia asked in a worried voice.

"What?" I asked, my voice muffled by my hands.

"Are you alright?"

I brought my hands down, swallowing heavily. "I'm fine," I muttered. "I just- let's go visit him," I said, turning and walking down the hall.

I hurried along, scanning the doors. _B23… B47… B52… B56!_

I ground to a stop in front of the right door. I put my hand on the doorknob, then hesitated. I couldn't bring myself to open the door.

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder. I jumped, turning to see Thalia standing there giving me a supportive smile.

"Go on," she said, gesturing to the door.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled down on the metal handle. The door clicked and swung open.

"Percy?" I whispered.

My feet moved by themselves, approaching the bed lying across the room. Lying in the bed was my very beat up boyfriend. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and his right eye was blackened. He didn't have a shirt on, revealing his bandaged shoulder. His eyes were shut tight, his face slack as he slept on.

"Oh, Percy," I said softly, gently smoothing back his raven-black hair. "What do you get yourself roped into?"

Behind me, Grover, Thalia, and Nico filed into the room. Poseidon came up next to me, staring down at his son's face.

"He looks so… small," Thalia muttered.

It was true. Percy looked so young and vulnerable bundled up in the hospital bed, the covers drawn up. That added to the fact that he hadn't been properly fed for days made him look as though he had shrunk.

"Do you think he'll wake up?" I heard Nico whisper to the others, probably thinking that I couldn't hear him.

There was a pause, and I could almost feel the hopeless looks being exchanged.

"I don't know, Nico," Grover mumbled.

I slipped my hand into Percy's limp one, holding on tightly. "Percy," I whispered again, lost on what to say.

A mechanical beep split the room. Thalia winced, digging in her pockets and pulling out her phone.

"It's Dad," she said, pressing a couple of buttons. "He's here to pick Nico and I up."

"Yeah," Grover said. "I need to get going soon too, otherwise my parents are going to throw a fit."…

"Do you need a ride home, Annabeth?" Thalia asked, pocketing her phone.

I shook my head, squeezing Percy's hand. "I'm not leaving," I said.

"Annabeth," Poseidon said in a quiet voice, "we don't know how long it will take for Percy to wake up. Perhaps it's best if you go home and wait for-"

"No," I replied stubbornly. "I am not leaving, and you can't make me. Percy's going to wake up soon, and I want to be here when he does. You guys can leave, but I am not taking a step out of this hospital until Percy is walking out with me."

"Annabeth," Thalia tried to protest.

"No, Thalia. Go on, it's fine. You can visit whenever, but I'm not going."

My friends exchanged looks. Thalia shrugged, a frown tugging at her lips.

"Alright, Annabeth," she finally said. "I'll bring some spare clothes and stuff over for you later."

"Thanks," I said softly.

"'Course," Thalia said, trying to sound upbeat. "Look after Kelp-for-Brains for me, will you?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, stroking his hair again. "I will."

My friends departed, exchanging good-byes and wishing me luck. When they were gone, I pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down, taking Percy's hand again.

Poseidon and I sat in the room for a long time, silently watching him. I wondered if Poseidon, too, was quietly wishing that his son would wake up, perhaps sending a prayer up towards the sky. We kept up a vigilant watch, wordlessly guarding the boy that meant so much to both of us.

Two hours passed before Poseidon finally stood up. The chair creaked as his weight was taken off of it, and he stretched before turning to me. "I have to take a few phone calls," he said. "I'll be back soon."

I nodded. Poseidon shot one more look at his son before turning and exiting the room.

I ran my fingers through my hair, yawning. It must be getting pretty late now; outside the window, the sky was growing dark already. I could feel the weariness starting to set in, a day of emotional and physical turmoil finally taking its toll on my body.

"Annabeth!"

I jumped as my name was shouted behind me. Turning, I was suddenly attacked by two brown-haired little demons.

"Bobby? Mathew?" I asked in surprise.

"Annabeth, where have you been? Why's Percy sleeping? When he wakes up, do you think he'll play with us?"

They started shooting questions at rapid speed. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to fit a word in, but they wouldn't shut up long enough for me to speak.

"Bobby, Mathew, calm down," said a quiet voice.

I turned to find my dad and step-mom in the doorway. They were hand-in-hand and both wore worried expressions.

"Annabeth!" Mrs. Chase exclaimed, walking forward and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Oh, I've been so worried! I got all these messages when we got home saying that you were in the hospital- in shock? Why were you in shock? And- oh, dear, what happened to Percy!?"

Mrs. Chase caught sight of Percy lying there and immediately turned to him, gently smoothing his hair back and peering into his face. "You found him! Where was he?"

"Calm down," I said, feeling the smallest smile starting to tug at the edges of my lips. "I think I should explain."

"Yes, you should," Mr. Chase said, eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at the hospital bed.

So I started explaining everything, starting from the beginning. Telling them how Dominic had given us the sketch of the man who had kidnapped Percy, then seeing him on the streets and following him. I told them about sending Nico back to phone the police and sneaking in the house; meeting Stacey and finding Percy, then trying to escape. I faltered slightly when I told them how I had tried to leave on my own; I had been really stupid. And I felt my eyes start to fill with tears when I got to the shooting and everything that happened afterwards.

"That's why I went into shock," I finished. "My body just shut down because I wasn't ready for all of this. When I woke up, I was in the hospital."

"And what about Percy?" Mrs. Chase asked. "When will he be waking up?"

I felt a lump in my throat, but managed to speak around it. "He's in a coma," I said quietly. "He could wake up soon; but he could… you know."

"So he's not sleeping?" Bobby asked in confusion, not noticing his mother's horrified look.

"No, he's not sleeping," Mr. Chase explained gently. "Percy's going to be here for a while, getting some rest. He'll… he'll wake up soon." He looked at me as he spoke. "He _will _wake up soon."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Yeah, he will," I said softly.

"Annabeth, sweetie, are you ready to go home?" Mrs. Chase asked, looking at me in concern.

"I'm staying here," I said immediately.

My parents looked at me, shocked. "What do you mean?" Mr. Chase asked.

"I'm not going to leave Percy," I said adamantly.

"What are you talking about?" Mr. Chase asked again. "Of course you're going to-"

"Frederick, dear," Mrs. Chase interrupted, lightly touching her husband's sleeve, "I think Annabeth needs to stay here."

"What?" Mr. Chase asked, obviously confused.

"Frederick," Mrs. Chase said, eyes narrowed. "Annabeth is going to stay here with her boyfriend."

Mr. Chase, frowned. "But-"

"Alright, Annabeth, we'll check back in with you tomorrow," Mrs. Chase said. "Do you need anything? Something from home, maybe?"

"No, it's alright," I assured her, "Thalia is going to bring some things over for me later."

"Well, if you're sure, dear," Mrs. Chase said. She took one last look at Percy before sending me a supportive smile. "Try to get some rest tonight, alright?"

"Alright," I said as she came forward to give me another soft hug.

"He'll be fine," she whispered in my ear before pulling back. "Okay, Bobby, Mathew, say good bye to Percy and Annabeth. We need to go home."

"Bye Annabeth," my brother's chorused, giving me a hug. Then they turned to Percy, smiling broadly. "Bye Percy!"

"Wake up soon!" Mathew added.

They filed out. My dad still looked pretty confused, but Mrs. Chase shushed him, trying to keep a hand on the boys, who were already talking again.

"I don't like hospitals."

"Can we have pizza for dinner?"

"When Percy wakes up, can we have a sleepover?"

I smiled, shaking my head as their voices died away, getting lost in the hustle and bustle of the corridors. My brothers were a handful, but they were sweet. And they always did help to lighten the mood, if anything.

I yawned again, feeling my eyelids start to droop. Still holding tight to Percy's hand, I leaned my head on my free hand and shut my eyes. _I'll just rest for a moment, _I thought to myself.

And then I fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N: A little uneventful in this chapter, but I promise the next one will pick up the pace a bit.**

**So I was watching TV when suddenly the Hannah Montana movie came on. Now, I was obsessed with Hannah Montana when I was little. So I decided to watch it. And let me tell you, I started thinking about ****_all _****the episodes I used to love. I don't get Disney Channel anymore, they took off all the good shows and replaced them with shows I want to barf on. I miss Hannah Montana and That's So Raven and all those shows like that! I grew up with them, and now they're gone!**

**Sorry for ranting, I just had to get that out. :3 I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you're happy I didn't kill Percy off. Honestly, do you guys think I would be THAT mean? I'm not totally evil, I wouldn't kill Percy!**

**Gosh. :D**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews, and thanks for reading! I'll post the next chapter soon.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Annabeth's POV

Six days.

Six days passed, and Percy didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.

I had stayed almost the entire time, just leaving for short walks that Thalia dragged me on every day. Poseidon also came on a regular basis, staying and chatting with me for hours at a time. He could constantly be seen arguing with the doctors about the fate of his son and checking to make sure that Percy was still alive and breathing. I was even starting to believe he was more anxious for Percy to wake up than me, if that was even possible.

I could tell my parents were starting to lose hope. As supportive as they were, and as much as they understood where I stood right now with Percy, they both agreed it was time for me to come home. Although I insisted that he would wake up soon, they had roped me into promising to come back in two days if he didn't get up.

So, I prayed. I wasn't normally a religious person, but now I spent a lot of my time praying to whoever was up there to give me my boyfriend back, to let him wake up. I wanted to see his beautiful green eyes again, I wanted to hug him again, talk to him again. I wanted _Percy _back.

I sat by his bedside, as usual, holding his hand. My free had gently brushed through his messy hair, and I yawned.

There was a knock on the door. I called out, "Come in," and the door opened behind me.

"Hey," Thalia said, walking up. "Any change?"

I sighed. "None," I said glumly.

Thalia laid her hand on Percy's arm, frowning down at him. "I don't like this," she muttered. "He is _way _too quiet when he's unconscious."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Don't I know it," I muttered. "I swear, I would jump off a cliff just to hear his voice again."

"You and me both," Thalia muttered, running a hand through her short hair.

I glanced down at Percy's pale face, his eyes till shut, and felt my heart clench just like always. "Thalia," I said softly, twirling a strand of my hair between my fingers, "do you really think he's going to wake up?"

Thalia glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. "You want the truth?" she said heavily.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded.

"Well," Thalia said, settling in the chair next to me, "honestly, I don't know. The doctors say it's looking doubtful, but there's a chance. Apparently, it's all up to old Kelp Head here. I guess it depends on whether or not he's strong enough to push himself to wake up."

"He's strong enough," I said immediately.

"I know he is," Thalia said. "But he's been through a lot. His body shut down, Annabeth. I don't think he's quite ready to come back." She sighed. "Frankly, I don't know if he'll ever be ready to come back," she finished in a quiet voice.

I pursed my lips. "I thought you were the one who told me to think positively," I said. "What about your attitude now?"

Thalia clenched her jaw. "Annabeth, I know we need to be positive, but we also need to be _realistic. _We can't go filling ourselves with false hope-"

"It's not false hope!" I snapped. "He'll be fine!"

"Don't you think I want that?" Thalia spat at me, her voice rising. "I want it just as bad as you! I miss him, too! But I'm not going to deny it, there's a very good chance he will never wake up!"

"Don't say that!" I shouted at her.

"Annabeth, you are deluding yourself!" Thalia hollered. "You think that just because you're here, he's going to be alright! You're making yourself sick, can't you see that? You barely ever leave!"

"You drag me outside every day," I shot at her.

"It's not enough!" Thalia said, eyes narrowing. "He's in a _hospital_, Annabeth. He's in very capable hands-"

"I _know_-"

"You don't need to be here every second-"

"You can't tell me what to do-"

"Annabeth!" Thalia shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice much louder than mine. I shut my mouth, glaring at her. I dared her to speak, to say something that would set me off.

Thalia let out an odd noise, halfway between sorrow and anger. She tugged at her earlobe the way she did when she was nervous. "I already lost one friend," she said softly. "I don't want to lose another, Annabeth."

Despite her soft voice and broken-sounding words, I felt anger coursing through my veins, overriding my good judgement. I grit my teeth, glaring at her. "You know what, Thalia? Just leave," I snapped. "I've only got another few days here, and I'm not going to waste it arguing with you. Just… go." I pointed at the door.

Thalia stared at me in disbelief for another moment. Then, her eyes narrowed, and she stood up roughly, the chair she was sitting on scraping against the floor and grating at my ears. "Fine," she spat at me. "I'll go. Have fun alone."

She turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her and leaving me in silence.

Letting out a noise of frustration, I put my head in my hands. Now that Thalia was gone, I realized that I had behaved stupidly. Percy's state had really hit Thalia hard; I could see it just by looking at her. Who was I to go saying those things to her? She was just stressed, was all. Things she didn't mean often slipped out of her mouth when she was in those states. She had learned that the hard way with Percy.

I grabbed Percy's hand again, even though I almost didn't want to. When he was awake, his hand was warm and closed over mine protectively, full of life. But in his coma-like state, his hand was cold and lifeless. It felt like I was holding the hand of a puppet.

I leaned down and rested my head on Percy's chest, trying to find a comfortable position. I could hear the steady beating of his heart through the thick white sheets, reassuring me.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

I shut my eyes, letting out a long sigh. I would reconcile with Thalia tomorrow. She'd come back; she was here every day to check up on Percy. Surely I would be able to get her forgiveness for my momentary lack of judgement.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

I felt myself slipping away. My hand squeezed Percy's tighter as my breathing slowed.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Everything died away as I fell asleep.

* * *

Percy's POV

It was dark.

Yeah, I know that sounds stupid, but it's really all I felt at that moment. All I could see around me was dark, and that was all I could feel as well, as weird as that sounded.

It wasn't a scary dark. There were no monsters popping out at me. It was… peaceful, in a way. I felt detached, completely rested. Wherever I was… it was nice.

I couldn't remember much. Vaguely, distant memories floated by. I reached out to them, but they slipped through my fingers as I sank deeper into the darkness. My name was Percy… I had a mother and a father… a stepfather… a mean one, apparently… a girlfriend, Annabeth…

Her name seemed to trigger something. The memories ground to a halt, leaving me with just one. Images of Annabeth floated through my head. She was frowning at me across the classroom, thinking about my secret. She was staring at me, horrified, on the beach. She was laughing at me, her head thrown back. She was screaming as Gabe pulled the trigger on a gun pointed right at me.

Gun?

Gabe?

Memories flooded me. I recalled everything that had happened, right up to when the bullet hit. I remembered piercing pain, an ear-piercing scream, then nothing.

Oh, god. Was I dead? I must be, right? Obviously, the bullet hit…

Panicking, I pulled myself away from the darkness. It didn't seem as comforting anymore. Now it was surrounding me, threatening to suffocate me. Perhaps it sensed that I was beginning to fight back, trying to escape its dark clutches.

I struggled, and very dimly I could feel my senses returning to me. That must be a good sign, right? If I was dead, I wouldn't be able to feel anything. Unless I was in like, the underworld or something…

Uh-oh. If I got myself killed, Annabeth was going to kill me.

Again.

I felt the air rushing into my lungs as I yanked free of the darkness. It felt like I was swimming, up, up, desperately trying to get to the surface.

And then I broke free. I became aware of my body- and how cruddy it felt.

I let out a low moan, immediate weariness sweeping through me. My shoulder throbbed, I couldn't move a muscle without feeling pain shoot through my entire body, at my throat felt as if there were knives cutting into it. All in all, it was absolutely horrible.

Something was rested on my chest, but I didn't have the energy to lift my eyelids and find out what it was. I shifted slightly, letting out a hoarse gasp as pain shot through me.

Whatever was on my chest shifted, moving around, but I didn't register that. I shut my eyes tightly, almost wishing to return to the darkness. At least there I didn't feel so horrible.

Then I heard a voice whisper, "Percy?"

* * *

Annabeth's POV

I was halfway through my nap when I heard a low, disparaging groan. Frowning, I opened one eye, wondering who it was.

I found myself looking into Percy's face. Suddenly, I remembered where I was- the hospital, sitting with Percy as he rested in a coma.

Yawning, I sat up, wincing at my stiff back. I rubbed my eyes to clear them before looking back at Percy.

His face was paler than it had been yet, and screwed up with pain. Although his eyes were shut, his breath came out in short spurts, as if he were struggling for air.

"Percy?" I whispered, feeling my heart rising into my throat.

He stopped moving. Sweat beaded his forehead, but he seemed to be frozen again… just like he had been for the past week.

I sighed, shutting my eyes. For one glorious moment I had thought he was waking up, but I was mistaken. It was probably just some reaction, something happening in his coma. I would tell the doctor later. He seemed to be resting fine now.

"Annabeth?" came a croaky voice.

My eyes flew open. I let out a gasp, looking down at Percy and seeing, for the first time, his eyes.

He seemed kind of dazed, not altogether focused. His voice had been so hoarse I could barely identify it as his. And he looked like everything he moved hurt. But right now, I was just elated to be see him awake again.

"Percy," I breathed out, shocked.

"An-" Percy tried to speak again, but he started coughing. He convulsed, coughing violently into his hands.

Hands trembling, I reached for a glass of water on the bedside table. I gently took his hands away from his face and pressed the cup to his dry lips. "Drink," I said quietly.

Percy gratefully gulped down the water, downing all of it very quickly. When it was empty, I set it back down, still holding onto Percy's hand.

"Oh… Percy, how do you feel?" I ask, unable to stop the smile from sliding onto my face.

Percy groaned. "Like someone ran over me with a truck," he said in a voice much more like his own. It was still weak, but sounded less like a cheese grater and more like Percy.

"Well, that would be expected," I said softly, gently running my hand through his hair, a habit I had picked up from sitting by his bedside for so long.

Percy tracked my hand with his eyes, but made no move to stop me. "What happened?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "Gabe… are you alright?"

I laughed. "You're the one lying in the hospital bed, Seaweed Brain," I teased him. I looked at him thoughtfully. "You look cute when you're worried," I said.

Percy raised his eyebrows tiredly. "Huh?"

"With your eyebrows all scrunched up," I explained.

Percy sighed, leaning back into his pillow. "Annabeth, what happened?"

"Alright, alright," I said. "Well, Gabe… shot you. It hit your shoulder, and you had surgery. Gabe's in jail for life, and you've been in a coma for the past week."

Percy looked as though I had slapped him in the face. "Coma?" he repeated weakly.

I gave him a soft smile. "Yeah," I muttered. "They weren't sure if… well, if…"

"I was going to wake up," Percy said vaguely, staring at a spot above my head.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

Percy blinked slowly, still staring at the ceiling. The daze seemed to have come over him again, and his eyes went out of focus.

Worried, I waved my hand in front of my face. "Percy?" I asked, fear swallowing me when he didn't respond to my hand.

Percy took a deep breath. "I'm tired," he mumbled, slowly turning his gaze to look at me again.

I swallowed, gently laying a hand on his cheek. "Then sleep," I said softly.

Percy yawned softly, his eyelids drooping. "But… you…" he said sleepily.

"I'll be right here when you wake up," I assured him.

"Promise?" Percy said in such a quiet voice I had to strain to hear him.

"Promise," I agreed.

Percy's head drooped as he fell asleep not a second after I finished speaking to him. His hand went slack in mine, but some warmth seemed to have returned to them.

I sat there for another few minutes, just watching him as he slept. He looked much more peaceful than he did before, his chest rising up and down steadily. His chin was angled toward his chest, falling limply down as he dreamed.

After a moment, I squeezed his hand once more, heaved a sigh, and clambered to my feet. I had to go tell the doctors that Percy had woken up, and then I would come back.

I promise.

* * *

**A/N: There. I just made a lot of you happy.**

**While the vast majority of you were begging me for him to wake up, I also received a lot of reviews and PM's asking me to kill Percy off. And yes, I did think about that for a while. I eventually decided that now was not the time for that (:D).**

**I also seriously debated wiping his memory, but I'm going to start wrapping this story up soon (and frankly, I have no experience with writing amnesiacs). So, no, Percy is still Percy.**

**This story is going to be ending soon, unfortunately. It looks like there's going to be a few more chapters, and then we will sadly be ending this. But I have a companion piece/sequel thing ready. I'm wondering if I should be nice and give you all a hint as to what the subject is going to be next chapter… would you guys like that? **

**As always, thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this, even if I'm not so sure how great it is. Eh, I'm iffy on this chapter. But, whatever.**

**I'll have the next chapter up soon! Please take the time and leave a nice review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Annabeth's POV

The hospital door flew open, and a rush of cold air burst through, slapping me in the face. Blinking from the bite of the wind, I winced as a loud voice started yelling into my ear.

"He's awake? Really? Is he alright? Can I talk to him? Is he-"

"Thalia, shh," I hissed at her as several nurses sent us dirty looks.

I had called Thalia, Nico, and Grover right after I had called Poseidon. Percy's father had rushed in five minutes after I had told him Percy was awake and had disappeared into the doctor's office immediately. Not long after, Thalia and Nico had arrived and were currently terrorizing the hospital.

"Not until you tell us what's going on!" Nico put in, raising a daring eyebrow at me.

I sighed, resigned to telling them. "Alright, alright, try to stay calm a bit. Well, Percy woke up about fifteen minutes ago when I was with him. He seemed alright… kind of out of it, but I guess that's expected after being in a coma for a week. He fell back asleep a few minutes after he got up, but it's a natural sleep now. The doctors are in with him right now, and Poseidon's speaking to them about when he'll be released, I'm guessing."

Nico nodded slowly, looking much calmer than Thalia's obvious elation and relief. But I could see the small smile playing on his lips, no matter how hard he tried to remain stoic and expressionless.

I tried to catch Thalia's eyes. I still felt pretty guilty about our argument. Now that I thought back to it, I had been the one in the wrong, not my friend. But now that Percy was finally alive and awake, I felt as if all the stress I'd been feeling over the last week had been lifted off my shoulders. And I really didn't want to bring it back by fighting with my best friend.

Thalia met my eyes head-on, but unlike countless others she had engaged in a staring match, I was not intimidated by her bright blue eyes. Giving me a small, almost imperceptible smile, she nodded, and I knew that she was putting our argument behind her.

I broke into a broad smile, grinning at her. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing as I was: _Maybe our lives are finally turning around._

Nico cleared his throat awkwardly, waving his hands in front of us. "Uh, earth to Thalia and Annabeth. Did I miss something?"

* * *

Forty five minutes later, we were back in the waiting room. Grover had arrived shortly after Thalia and Nico, and after quickly explaining everything to him, he had joined us in our vigilant wait for Percy to wake back up.

Poseidon still hadn't reemerged to tell us anything, and I was beginning to get a little bit nervous. What if something had gone wrong, and Percy wasn't alright? Had he fallen back into a coma? Was that even possible?

Thalia let out a long, suffering sigh. "Annabeth, stop _worrying._"

I blinked, looking up at her. "How did you- I am not worrying!"

Thalia rolled her eyes, flipping through a magazine she had found on the rack. "Yes, you were. You have that look on your face, the one when you're really worried about something."

"I don't have a look on my face," I snapped at her, crossing my arms resolutely.

"Sure you don't," Thalia muttered, peering closer at the glossy pages she was holding.

I let out a huff of air, sitting back in my seat. Why did she have to be so… infuriating?

Grover was munching nervously on a bag of chips he had gotten out of a vending machine. Nico was sitting in the corner, scrolling through his phone with a bored look on his face. Thalia was engrossed in reading about celebrity's newest scandals, her face disbelieving and skeptical. And I… well, okay, I was worrying.

"Annabeth?"

"I'm not worrying!" I snapped, throwing my hands up.

"Er… alright… but I have news on Percy."

I spun around to see who had spoken. Poseidon was standing in the doorway, looking at us all with a faintly amused expression. There were dark bags under his eyes, but he looked a lot better than he had all week. More relaxed and care-free. That had to be a good sign, right?

Immediately I scrambled to my feet, my face burning. "Sorry," I said quickly. "How's Percy?"

Poseidon gave me a large smile. "He's fine. He woke up a few minutes ago and was aware of his surroundings. He's still very weak, but the doctors said that he'll be able to leave in a few days hopefully."

I let out a breath of air I hadn't known I had been holding. "Oh, thank god," I said quietly, glancing at my friends. They sent me broad smiles, and Thalia held out a thumbs up.

"Oh, and Annabeth," Poseidon said, catching my attention again. I turned around to hear him. "He… wants to talk to you," Percy's father said, his smile flickering slightly.

Confused, I shrugged. "Alright. I'll head in right now. Come on, Thalia, Nico-"

"Alone," Poseidon added helpfully.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I slowly nodded, slightly put out by Poseidon's behavior. What was going on? It felt like there was a greater plot going on… nothing was wrong, was it?

Shooting a last confused glance at my friends, I followed Poseidon down the hallway to Percy's room. When we reached it, Poseidon pushed it open without knocking, holding it ajar for me. "Go on," he said, motioning for me to enter.

When I walked in, Poseidon shut the door behind me, leaving us alone. Disconcerted, I turned to look at Percy, who was still lying in the hospital bed. His eyes were shut, so I thought he might have fallen asleep after Poseidon had visited him.

I walked nearer to the bed, trying not to wake him. Suddenly, his eyelids flicked open, revealing his deep green eyes staring at me.

I jumped, surprised by the quickness with which he had woken up. "God, Percy!" I said, putting a hand to my heart. "Don't _scare _me like that!"

Percy let out a chuckle. "Aw, but where's the fun in that?"

I frowned at him, coming to his bedside and sitting down in the chair that had been pulled up. "You're a jerk," I muttered.

Percy grinned lopsidedly at me. "That's why you love me."

I rolled my eyes, a smile crossing my face. Then I turned my expression serious, looking down at him. "How do you feel?" I asked, my eyes flicking over his pale face and weak smile.

Percy shrugged, his fingers unconsciously gripping the sheets. "I've been better, but I guess that's expected," he said dismissively.

I reached over and carefully touched his tensed hand. He eyed me warily, but let me take his hand in mine. "You have no idea how worried I've been," I said conversationally, gently massaging his hand open.

I slowly felt it relaxing in my grip, and he squeezed my hand. "Sorry," he muttered.

I shook my head. "It's not your fault, Percy. It's Gabe's fault, and now that his sorry ass is in jail, we have nothing to worry about."

Percy couldn't hold back a snort. "Did you just cuss?" he asked, sounding surprised.

I shot a look at him. "It applies," I mumbled.

Percy's snorts turned into a full out laugh. "Why, Annabeth, how very un-ladylike of you," he managed to say.

"Oh, shut up!" I snapped, my lips twitching as Percy laughed.

Suddenly, he dissolved into coughs. He jerked his hand out of mine as he covered his mouth, doubling over. I felt alarm set in, unsure what to do.

"Oh no- Percy? Percy, are you alright?"

I tried to put my hand on his shoulders and comfort him, but he waved me off. When his fit had subsided, he sat back and gave me a weak smile. "Sorry 'bout that. Guess I'm still not strong enough for that."

"You'll be fine in a few days," I said reassuringly, taking his hand again. "My family has been so worried about you; the twins wanted to be here all the time. It'll be nice to have you back home again; my parents said you can keep staying with us."

Percy's smile dropped. "Um… Annabeth? There's something I need to talk to you about."

I raised my eyebrows, perplexed by his sudden change in mood. "Of course, what is it?"

Percy cleared his throat awkwardly, picking at the blanket. "I'm not going to be staying with you," he blurted out.

Taken aback, I released his hand. "You're not?" I asked, blinking at him.

Percy gave me a sad look. "Poseidon's invited me to stay with him," he muttered, bringing up a hand to run it through his hair.

I frowned, wondering what the problem was. "That's fine, Percy. I mean, it's not like you're going to be halfway across the world or anything-"

"But Annabeth, that's exactly where I'll be," Percy said quietly.

My jaw dropped. I stared at him in open-mouthed disbelief, not quite comprehending what he had said. "What?" I asked in a high-pitched voice, too confused to worry about such petty things as dignity right now.

Percy let out a sigh, looking up at me with a flat expression. "Poseidon's house is in London. There's only a little more than a month left in the school year, and I've already missed so much. He wants me to come live with him for the summer, take a break from everything here. He said it'd be good for me to get away for a while."

I shook my head, standing up. "Well, you don't have to go. You can stay at my house, stay here-"

"I said yes, Annabeth," Percy said, not meeting my eyes.

I felt my eyes narrowing. "You _what_?" I asked dangerously.

"Annabeth, it's not going to be forever-"

"Perseus Jackson, how dare you?" I snapped at him. "I spent the last few weeks _worrying out of my mind _about you! You've been in a freaking coma! And now you wake up and tell me you're _leaving _for the next four months?"

"Annabeth, please, it's just a few months-" Percy pleaded desperately.

"When are you leaving?" I shot at him.

Percy shut his eyes, obviously not wanting to answer me.

"Percy," I said warningly.

"Next week," he mumbled.

I felt a wave of hurt wash over me, mixing with my anger. He was just… going to leave me? Like that? I felt so… abandoned, and hurt by how easy he was willing to leave. Maybe I didn't mean as much to him as I thought.

Turning away from him, I started towards the door. "Whatever," I said. "Have fun in London."

"Annabeth, please!" Percy called out. I could hear him struggling to sit up in bed. "It's just for the summer! I just need some time to figure everything out-"

"Go ahead, see if I care!" I shot at him. I put my hand on the doorknob, ready to exit.

"Annabeth, will you stop being so _hard-headed_?"

Eyes flashing, I spun around. Percy was sitting up in bed, glaring at me. "_Excuse me?_" I asked dangerously.

"You're always so proud, you can't let anyone do something you don't approve of! You're making a big deal out of nothing! I'm not going to be gone forever, and I'll be coming back for the next school year-"

"It is _four months, _Percy! That's practically half a year!" I shouted. "How could you just leave me like that?!"

"Because it's what's best for me!" Percy hollered back. "I need a break, Annabeth! This place holds too many fresh memorie!"

"Oh, so being away from me is what's best?" I snarled at him.

Percy looked furious. "Maybe it is," he snapped.

That shut me up. I stared at him in horrid disbelief. "What?" I asked in a flat voice.

"You know, I'm beginning to think we aren't as compatible as I thought," Percy said, shaking his head, "if you blow up every time I want to go away for a little bit."

"It's four months!" I said, too angry to bother explaining how hurt I felt. "That's not a little bit! That's a lot of bit! We haven't even been on a serious date yet! Do you have to leave so quickly? Is it that important for you to leave me?"

"Annabeth, I'm going to come back!" Percy snapped.

"How very unfortunate," I hissed at him. I whirled around, throwing open the door. "I am so _done _with you, Jackson! You know, when you were at school, I thought you were the most arrogant, annoying boy I've ever met! And it seems that I was _right_! I never want to see you _again_!" I stalked out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind me.

Once I was in the hall, I took great, gulping breaths. Tears were welling up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. How _could _he?

I tried to keep calm and collected, carefully walking down the hall and towards the exit. My lip quivering, I set course towards the sliding doors.

"Annabeth?"

Thalia, Grover, and Nico poked their heads out of the waiting room, looking utterly bewildered. Behind them, Poseidon watched me guiltily, giving me a sad smile.

"Annabeth, what happened?" Thalia asked worriedly, walking out.

I took a deep breath, trying not to break. "Percy and I broke up," I snapped at her.

Thalia dropped her jaw, her eyes widening. "But… why?" she asked, perplexed.

"He's a good-for-nothing, stubborn little jerk, and I never want to see him again!" I shot at her, taking her by surprise.

Whirling around, I sprinted out the door into the cool evening air. Tears spilled down my cheeks, mingling with the crisp wind outside. I ignored my friends' shouting behind me and kept running, as if I were trying to run away from by problems themselves.

* * *

Percy's POV

"God!" I said, dropping my head into my hands. I couldn't believe Annabeth and I had just broken up.

Why couldn't she understand? It was only a few months, and then I'd be back. She was acting like I had decided to live on the moon or something.

I mean, okay, maybe I could have been a bit gentler when I told her, but she had _way _overreacted. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Why, _why _did I think I could date someone that was so… _proud_? And when I thought about, I really _didn't _know her all that well…

I heard the door open, but didn't bother to look up. Chances were it wasn't Annabeth.

"Percy?" I heard Grover ask tentatively.

"What?" I hissed at him, not in the mood to be reprimanded for my rash actions.

"Um… what happened with Annabeth?" Grover said, stepping inside. "She ran out of the hospital a few minutes ago, telling us that she never wanted to see her again."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to stay with my dad in London for a while, and she completely overreacted, totally blowing this out of proportion."

Grover frowned. "How long are you leaving?"

I glanced at him. "I'm leaving next week, and I'll be there until the end of summer."

Grover gaped at me. "That's almost four months!"

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "So?"

"So, of course Annabeth feels hurt! I guess it feels like you don't care about her anymore, and want to get away," Grover said reasonably.

"Since when are you so good at reading emotions?" I asked, frowning.

"Perce, I understand that you want to get away from this all, but Annabeth's been under a lot of stress lately. You couldn't have thought she would take this well," Grover said.

"_She's _been under a lot of stress lately?" I asked disbelievingly. "Who's the one in the hospital bed?"

"Percy, you guys can't break up over something like this," Grover said desperately.

"Yeah? Well, it's not my decision anymore. The ball is in her court as soon as I get back from London for the school year. It's not like I'll be going away forever!" I repeated.

"Percy, I can't pretend to understand girls," Grover said. "No one can. But I'm pretty sure that if their boyfriend was kidnapped and then in a coma for a week, and then they woke up and told them they'd be leaving for four months, they'd be a little inclined to be angry."

I stared blankly at him. "I told her I'd be coming back!"

Grover sighed, shaking his head. "You're hopeless," he muttered "Perce, try to make up with her before you go. You guys are really good together, and I know you were both serious about your relationship. All couples fight, but you need to get past this. Please try to get over this, both of you!"

"Thanks, Grover, but there's nothing I can do right now," I said. "I'm going to London next week, and it doesn't appear that Annabeth remotely likes me anymore. All I can hope for is that she won't punch me the next time I see her, because I really don't want to get punched."

Grover headed over to the door, still shaking his head. "Percy, you're both being ridiculous," he shot at him. "This has turned into a full-blown war just because you're both too stubborn to admit you're both in the wrong. You shouldn't just up and leave her like that, and Annabeth should understand it's okay for you to take a break. If you guys want to ruin your relationship over this, whatever. I'm not going to stand in your way."

He turned and left, leaving me to ponder what he had just said.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I have a lot to say to you all about this chapter.**

**First off, this was TOTALLY not planned. I set out with one idea, and it snowballed into this. Honestly, I'm not sure what my thought process during this chapter was. I'm going to have to change the sequel idea that I had, because this threw a fork in the road. Originally, I had been planning to make the next story about Nico because I couldn't think of anything for Percabeth, but now I need to get this mess resolved... so you all get more Percy and Annabeth action at least!**

**Secondly, I know you all hate me for this : ) But come on, the story needed some more drama between them! And now the story will continue on for a while, because I have so much more to write about now.**

**In case you all still care about my wellbeing after what I did to Percy and Annabeth, I'm sick as I'm writing this right now, staying home from school. So I guess I'm just in a cruddy mood and decided to cause trouble in one of my stories, so there you are.**

**I'm sorry if you're all mad at me, but hey, I'm a writer ; D. Rick Riordan took Percy away from Annabeth for eight months, and I only did four, so ha! **

**There will be one or two more chapters of this story and then I'll set up the sequel, which will say what happens after this.**

**Please review with what you think of the plot twist, and please don't waste a review yelling at me about how mean I am, because that's what makes a good story!**

**Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll get the final chapters up soon! Review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	33. Chapter 33

**Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygodsohmy godsohmygodsohmygodsohmygods ohmygodsohmygods-**

**LAST CHAPTER.**

**This story is ending right here. After all this, it's over. The sequel will, of course, be up soon, but this is almost it for Masking the Pain. A few last thoughts from our characters are all that's needed right now, and we'll be on to the next part of their life. **

**Right, I'll write more about all this in the Authors Note. But for now, please enjoy the last chapter of Masking the Pain!**

* * *

**Chapter 33**

Annabeth's POV

"Annabeth-"

"No."

"But Annabeth-"

"Shhh!"

"Annabeth-!"

"No, Thalia. Now shut up and watch the movie," I snapped without looking at my friend.

I stared at the television, my arms crossed. Onscreen, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone played; the perfect movie for me right now. No romance, just fantasy and magic and eleven year-old wizards. Just what I needed for an escape from my bleak present. A trip back to my childhood, with no stupid boyfriends and gun-wielding stepfathers-

The TV turned off.

"Thalia!" I said, turning on her and frowning.

"No, we need to talk," Thalia said, setting the remote down on the cushions. She turned to me, her bright blue eyes narrowed.

"What?" I asked reluctantly.

Thalia pursed her lips. "You know what!" she said. "Percy!"

I turned away from her, looking back at the blank television screen. The surface threw my reflection back at me, and I was left staring into my own eyes, wide and uncertain even on the black screen.

Television-Thalia shifted, and I could feel the couch dip as real Thalia did as well. "Annabeth, it's been a week," she said exasperatedly. "He's leaving today, you know? For _four months. _You don't even want to say goodbye?"

I hesitated for a fraction of a second. "No."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you two are arguing over something as stupid as this."

I turned on her. "It's not stupid!" I said defensively. "Why wouldn't I be angry that he's taking off to _London _for four months without even telling me?"

You want the truth? I had felt guilty as soon as I had cooled off a bit. If I really thought about it, I could see Percy's point of view. I'm guessing he was just feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and needed a bit of time to get control of his life again. To reinvent himself. But that's one of the reasons I was so scared. I was frightened that in those four months, he would forget about me, fall for someone else. What if he changed, and when he came back, he didn't need me anymore?

"Annabeth, what is this really about?" Thalia asked.

I shut my eyes. "Thalia, it's nothing. I don't want to talk about this."

I could hear Thalia take a deep breath as she tried to stay calm. "You're going to have to talk about it sometime."

"Yeah? Well not today," I snapped at her, standing up. "If Percy wants a new life, he can have one. I don't care."

"Yes, you do," Thalia insisted. She stood up as well, leaning close into my face. She looked straight into my eyes, and they seemed to spark with electricity. She was so close I could pick out each individual freckle on the bridge of her nose.

"You do care," she snarled at me, "and I know what you're doing. You're convincing yourself that you don't care about any of this because you don't want to get hurt. You don't think that Percy will be able to stay loyal to you if he goes away for four months. You're scared that he'll completely forget about you, and you won't be able to be with him anymore."

I froze, staring at her. I didn't say a word, but she must have seen the truth of her statement reflecting in my eyes.

Letting out a small chuckle, Thalia pulled away. "Ridiculous," she muttered. "I can't believe you actually think that."

"What's so ridiculous about that?" I asked, glaring at her. "It happens all the time! Not every couple stays together, Thalia, it's a fact of life!"

"Yes, well you could have!" Thalia shouted at me. "You and Percy were perfect together. Yes, he was kind of a jerk telling you about it, but he had a perfectly valid reason to go, and you shouldn't be this mad at him! You shouldn't break up with him just because of what _might _happen! You guys can at least be _friends, _if you want to take a break!"

I backed away from her, gritting my teeth. Glaring angrily, I pointed at the door. "Get out," I said in a low voice.

Thalia looked taken-aback. "What?" she asked in surprise.

Feeling tears starting to burn at the corners of my eyes, I jabbed my finger at the door again. "Get out!" I exclaimed. "I am sick and tired of everyone telling me what I should or shouldn't feel! Iam angry with Percy, and I want to take a break from our relationship! And it's really not helping that I have a ton of people on my case telling me what I've been doing wrong! I'm sick of it! If Percy really wanted to patch things up, he would have come to me before he left!"

Thalia shook her head, clenching her jaw. "You know what?" she said, backing towards the door, "Fine. Fine, fine, fine! I'll leave you in peace." She threw open my front door, then spun around. "You gave up your chance with Percy," she said. "You guys really had something, and you're both being so freaking _stubborn. _You should know Percy would never cheat on you! That boy is too loyal for his own good!"

In response, I simply turned around, not looking at her.

I heard Thalia stalk outside. I heard her slam the door shut, heard the picture frames on the wall rattle with the force of her slam, but I didn't move. Still facing away from the last place I had seen Thalia, I shut my eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling.

When did my life get so messed up? Just when I thought Percy and I were going to get our happily-ever-after, this happens. Percy was gone, and I had been left behind. Just like always.

Burying my face in my hands, I let a single tear slip through my clenched eyelids.

Percy and I had broken up because we weren't 'compatible' anymore. Percy had gone for four months. Thalia was angry with me. Grover was annoyed with both of us. Nico wasn't sure where he stood in this argument, instead preferring to stay out of it and not talk to anyone. And for the next four months, I would be alone, just like I had been for the first sixteen years of my life.

Yes, I had had Thalia, but she had always been busy with Nico and Percy and Grover, and I just hadn't fit in with them.

_And I still don't, _I thought glumly. I should have known our shaky friendship wouldn't have lasted. We were all thrown together because of the circumstances we had been put under. If it hadn't been for Percy's situation with Gabe and my suspicion, we wouldn't have met, and this whole thing wouldn't have happened. I would still be living happily with my schoolwork and books, the only things who could put up with me for long periods of time.

The front door opened again, and Bobby and Mathew came running in. "Annabeth, will you make us cookies?" they shouted over their shoulders as they sprinted into the kitchen.

My parents came in a few seconds later, talking and laughing. Turning around, I plastered a fake smile on my face, greeting them.

A fake smile, fake happiness. You're perfectly fine, Annabeth, just keep your chin up, I thought to myself.

I'll be fine.

* * *

Percy's POV

Poseidon checked his watch, tapping his foot. "The plane is ten minutes late," he muttered, glancing around the crowded airport.

I leaned back in the hard airport seat, staring up at the ceiling. "It's fine, Dad," I said flatly.

Poseidon glanced at me. Letting out a sigh, he took a seat. "Percy, if you don't want to go, it's fine," he said. "I understand you're fighting with Annabeth; maybe you can stay with her until I-"

"No," I said abruptly. "Dad, I want to go. You're right, I need a break, and I want to spend some time with you in London."

Poseidon frowned at me. "I don't want to be the reason you and Annabeth break up."

I shook my head. "You weren't the reason, Dad." I sighed, running a hand across my face. "_I'm _the reason. I was such an idiot…"

"Talk to her," Poseidon suggested. "I'm sure you two can work it out."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "She _hates _me; you know Annabeth, she's stubborn as a mule. I seriously doubt that she would forgive me."

"Percy, you need to give her a chance-"

"What I need is to go to London," I interrupted. "Really, Dad, I think it's best if I just… take a break. I'll come back in a few weeks and fix things up with Annabeth if I can."

"And if you can't…?" Poseidon trailed off, eyeing me worriedly.

I felt my heart clench. That was my underlying fear through all of this: that I wouldn't be able to patch things up with Annabeth. I had messed things up pretty badly between us. I had never wanted to just leave her like that, but I hadn't had a dad for _sixteen years. _And now I was finally getting the chance to spend some time with him, and I had just been a little… eager. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go anymore.

I mean, of course I wanted to go. But what I wanted more than anything was to stay and fix things with my friends. But my dad had been so _happy _when I had told him I wanted to come with him, and I didn't want to hurt him by skipping out. I guess this is what that old saying meant: stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had always thought it had been a rather stupid little quote; I mean, when would a rock ever be squishing me against a hard place? But now I got it, much more than I ever wanted to.

Maybe all of this was for the best. I had been so _happy _with Annabeth, but we hadn't really been the best fit. I mean, she was so smart and proud, and I was so… me. Sarcastic and, admittedly, clueless. We didn't really make the best match.

"Flight 14 to London is now boarding at Gate A2."

I was jolted out of my thoughts by the loudspeaker. All around us, people were getting out of their seats, heading over to the gate.

I glanced up at Poseidon, who was picking up his things. He wasn't looking at me, but I could see a small smile on his face. I knew that he had spent much of his life wishing he could get to know me, and now he was overjoyed that he was getting the chance to actually live with me, take me to his old home. Although he remained stoic and professional on the outside, I could just tell how he was feeling. Was this what it was like to have a dad, to just know what he was thinking?

And then I knew I had to go. I had to go and get to know my dad, the one I had been deprived of for most of my life. And if I didn't go, he'd be devastated. No, it was necessary.

Slowly, I stood up, shouldering my bag and gripping the strap tightly. I had made my decision. I would go to London, really get to know my father, then I would come back. I would come back and try to fix things with Annabeth, no matter what it took.

I followed Poseidon to the gate. After a short wait, I handed my ticket to the attendant, and she scanned it.

Sparing one last glance behind me at the airport, I took a step forward, towards the plane, towards London. I was heading towards a new start, but it wouldn't be permanent. I would come back.

And when I do, I'm not going to mess things up a second time.

THE END

* * *

**A/N: Wow. That felt so weird to write.**

**I have so much I want to say about this story. After 33 chapters, I've really grown attached to it, and I understand many of you did as well. I want to thank all of my COMPLETELY AMAZING READERS. If you're reading this right now, I'm offering you a heartfelt thank you for helping me to finish this story all the way through. I got tons of awesome reviews, actually getting over one thousand. **

**When I started this story, it was just a little drabble that I was going to do, and the first dozen chapters were, admittedly, not very good. You can see how my writing has improved as you progress through the story. But soon it started growing more popular than I could ever have imagined, and it was truly a wonderful experience to have so many devoted fans. Me, actually having fans. Never imagined that.**

**I've gotten to know so many of you because of this story. I've gotten dozens of PM's and kind reviews and have made many, many friends that I enjoy talking to everyday. It's really awesome to be able to speak and get to know the readers who have supported me for so long.**

**So, whether you've been backing me up since the very first chapter, or just found this story a couple of days ago, I would like to extend a wholehearted thank you. For reading and helping me realize that I want to be a writer when I grow up, because it's what I love to do. **

**Okay, getting kind of emotional, haha. I'm not saying goodbye to any of you, nor to this story. The sequel will be up very soon, quite possibly in the next week or so. I'll put an author's note on this story when it's up so you can all check it out and, hopefully, read it as well.**

**Please leave me a review with your opinion of this chapter and the overall book. Now is your chance to really tell me how you feel, and what you're looking forward to in the sequel! And if you have any suggestions for title names, I would love to hear them. I want to stay in the same kind of theme, like 'Masking the Regret' or something like that, I'm not sure. I'd love to hear your ideas, and they would be very appreciated!**

**I guess that's it for now. Again, thank you all so, so much. I am the writer I am today because of my dedicated readers, and I will always be grateful.**

**Until next time, my friends!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	34. AN: Sequel Is Up!

**Hey everyone! The sequel has been posted. It is called 'Masking the Regret' and can be found on my page or through this link:**

s/9026169/1/Masking-the-Regret

**Please read and tell me what you think! Thanks everyone!**

**xoxo,**

**Kayla**


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